


The Only Light I See

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: Every Breath of Me [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Baby Peter Parker, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Kid Peter Parker, Maria Stark's Good Parenting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-05 12:12:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 45,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17918579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: 'Cause when I needed a place to hang my heartYou were there to wear it from the startAnd with every breath of meYou'll be the only light I see------Tony Stark was a lot of things. Billionaire, genius, philanthropist, playboy.One thing Tony Stark didn't think he was, was stupid. But staring at the very pregnant woman in front of him, he knew that today that was not going to be the case.





	1. A Surprising Request

**Author's Note:**

> I love this trope. I have read pretty much every story in this trope. So I decided to try it for myself. Hope you enjoy!

Tony Stark was a lot of things. He was a billionaire. The money he had inherited was something his father had worked hard for. Howard had always mentioned that (obnoxiously so, Tony might add). He was born working class and worked his way up, so Tony had better be grateful for what he had (Tony was only grateful that his eyes didn't roll out of his head from those lectures). But Tony had added to that fortune with his inventions. He was CEO of a major corporation. Stark Industries was always listed as Fortune 500 Company, so Tony Stark had to be doing something Sure, the world wasn't always happy with him (newspapers had a field day with him), but he kept Stark Industries on the map and the weaponry flowing. 

The inventions were proof that he was a genius. He was building and creating for as long as he could remember. And then being accepted to MIT at 15? What a great excuse to get away from his dad and continue to prove just how smart he was. He could pick any book up and be an expert on it by morning. It was just how his mind worked.

He was also, as portrayed by the media, a huge playboy. He didn't do girlfriends. He didn't do relationships or dates. He had fun. Sure, it gave Obadiah and anyone else around Tony a headache but he didn't care. It was his life; he'd do as he pleased.

One thing Tony didn't think he was, was stupid. But staring at the very pregnant woman in front of him, he knew that today that was not the case.

Tony was an idiot.

Mary Fitzpatrick stood in front of him, her delicate hand on her hip. The bump protruding from her dress was the source of Tony's idiocy. Pepper was standing behind her glaring daggers into Tony. She was thinking the exact same thing.  _How could he be so stupid?_

"It's yours," Mary said, answering the question that he wasn't asking. "You could do a DNA test, but I can assure you, it's yours." 

"H-how do you know?" Tony sputtered out, still staring at the bump. He remembered Mary. Remembered mostly what they had done, but still, hadn't they been careful? 

"That god awful Christmas party you had for Stark Industries," She said. "My husband," Tony's eyes widened at that. "We weren't married at the time. We eloped only recently. Anyways, Richard and I weren't on speaking terms and you were flirting and I didn't want to be alone." Tony raised an eyebrow. "I was aware of your reputation, but I thought I was entitled to something fun as well." Tony bit back a smirk. Of what he remembered, they certainly had fun. The night was blurry, as were most nights Tony threw a party. He remembered seeing Mary across the room. Her long brown hair had been pinned back. She had been drinking champagne, flute after flute, swaying to the music. She was pretty and wasn't throwing herself at Tony and he liked a challenge. He remembered flirting with her and making passes. He remembered her batting at his chest playfully and smiling at her champagne. 

He remembered escorting her out of the room, his hand on the small of her back, her grabbing a bottle of champagne that a waiter had left out. He had flashes of what happened next, nothing concrete. And then he remembered waking up in the morning to a pile of clothes and obvious understanding of what had occurred. But he wasn't stupid. How could he have not been careful?

"We'll do a DNA test now," Pepper said, butting into the conversations. "We have the resources." Mary shrugged and opened her purse. She handed a smile vial with a swab already in it.

"I was sure you'd all be skeptical," She said. "So I came prepared." Tony choked back a cough. God she was smart, too smart. Wasn't that why he kept flirting with her? Pepper gave her a tight-lipped smile, staring at the small vial. "You can take another sample while I'm here, to be sure I'm not lying."

"We'll be sure to do that," Pepper said, eyeing the pregnant woman. She then turned and left the office, but not before shooting Tony a look that made him want to absolutely disappear. Stark Industries had dealt with countless pregnancy scares that the lab just had Tony's DNA on file for these kinds of situations. God, what kind of life did he live that they needed that? He sighed, noting that he should definitely give Pepper a raise for dealing with this. Pepper was always put together in how she walked, talked, acted, and dressed. But when she had busted into Tony's office that morning, there was nothing put together about the look on her face. She was fuming, absolutely fuming.  

"Sit," Tony said, pointing to the chair. Mary eased herself into the chair, her hand on her stomach. "H-how far along?"

"Seven months," Mary said. Tony's eyes widened. She had known for that long and had waited to tell him? "Look, I came to you not because I want money but because I can't be a mother."

"What?" Tony asked, surprise in his voice. He had figured that she wanted some huge payout to keep this all quiet and to keep Tony out of the kid's life. He was certainly not parent material.

"I don't have the kind of job where motherhood is suitable," Mary said. Tony gave her a look. Of what he remembered, Mary had said she was worked in the field of science research.  

"You're a scientist," Tony said, not buying her reason. Maybe she did want money and was just trying to make him feel bad. "I think you can get time off to care for your child."

"I'm a CIA agent," Mary said bluntly and Tony's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. A CIA agent? Was that why she was so calm around Tony? Had he been a target? Mary chuckled a little. "Relax, I wasn't after you or anything. Just after a fun evening." Tony gulped, not sure if he believed her. God, a CIA agent. No wonder she was so calm. "Look my husband is also my partner and neither of us can afford to stop working. I'm coming to you because this is your child. If you want to be a father, then I will grant you that. If not, I have in-laws who would help if we asked."

"Why me?" Tony asked. "Why would you trust me?" Mary sighed.

"I know the media has a very negative view of you," Mary said. "But at the end of the day, this is your child too. I can't be a mother, but that doesn't mean you don't have a right to be a father." Tony felt his throat go dry. He had never thought about fatherhood. His own father had been cold and distant and Tony never wanted to put someone else in that position. What was the chance he wouldn't turn out exactly like Howard? Everything else in his life had.

But then, he thought of his mother, the parent he loved with every fiber of his being. Even when he was a complete jackass, his mother supported him. What would she think about this?

"I need some time," Tony said. "For both the test results and my decision." Mary nodded and stood up.

"I'm here until Saturday," Mary said. She put a business card down on the desk. "Call me when you decide." She then walked out of the office. Tony leaned back in his chair and covered his eyes. As soon as he was sure she was gone, Tony let out a groan. He had no idea what he was going to do.

* * *

 

After getting an earful from Pepper, along the lines of  _how could you be so stupid_  and  _do you know what this could do to your company,_ Tony had gone home. He had a fundraiser to go to, but told Obadiah he wasn't attending and that he would make a hefty donation to make up for it. He entered his sizable Malibu mansion and immediately collapsed on the couch.

"JARVIS," Tony called, from his position on the couch. "What makes a good father?" 

"I do not understand the question sir," JARVIS echoed back. He sighed, wishing he had Edwin Jarvis there to talk to at that very moment. He could've used some of his good sense and wit.

"Me neither," Tony grumbled. He sat up and walked over to the bar. He poured himself a glass of scotch. He was about to drink it, but it felt wrong. He put the glass down. He wandered the house until he made his way to his room. He sat down on the bed. He sighed, his whole body slumping. This was a mess, pure and simple. And he had no clue what to do. His brain was screaming to say no, that he was a mess and there was no way he could raise a child. But his heart? His heart was focused on one person.

His mother.

Maria Stark would've loved a grandchild. She would've spoiled the kid rotten. Everything she had done for him, she would've done for that kid and more. He could almost picture a small child sitting on the piano bench with Maria, her hands guiding theirs over the keys. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing away the tears. God, he missed his mom, especially at moments like this. She would've known what to do. Tony laid down on the bed, thoughts of his mother and the choice he had to make running in his head, until eventually he passed out from exhaustion.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the comics, Mary and Richard Parker are CIA agents and I thought that fit well with my idea. 
> 
> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	2. The Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony makes a decision.

Sunlight shone through the curtains, eliciting a groan from Tony. He woke up slowly, groggy thoughts filling his head. He looked around, confused. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. Had he just fallen asleep? He wasn't surprised; his mind had been a mess yesterday. It still was today.

"JARVIS what time is it?" He asked, sitting up slowly. His head felt like he'd gone on a bender. Had he eaten yesterday? Or drank anything besides coffee? That was doubtful.

"6:30 AM sir," JARVIS said and Tony groaned. He pulled himself up, removed his clothes and dragged himself to the shower. He let the water hit him, hoping it would wake him up, or at least knock some sense into him. His eyes kept drifting open and shut. All he could think about was Mary Fitzpatrick, well now Parker, standing in his office and her very pregnant belly. He shook his head, trying to concentrate on something, anything else. When he finally exited the shower and put on a suit, he realized it was already 7:15.  _45 minutes in the shower,_ Tony thought.  _Must be a fucking record_. He made his way to the kitchen and began brewing his coffee.  

"JARVIS, the news highlights of the day," Tony said. JARVIS droned on about the news as Tony waited for the coffee to brew. The sound of the beans grinding relaxed him a tiny bit. When it was done, Tony chugged the first cup, not even caring how hot it was. He filled a second cup and drank it slower this time, his head still full of thoughts. Could he be a father? Would he not screw up within the first day and scar the kid for life? Was the baby even really his? Mary was a CIA agent after all, she could be lying. She could actually want money or information. Tony picked up his phone, waiting anxiously to see any calls or texts. Nothing from Pepper. That meant the results weren't in yet. Tony sighed before grabbing his keys. He sent a text to Happy saying he would meet him at the office and then got into his favorite car. He stepped on the gas and sped down the street, towards the freeway. Along the way, he passed a children playing sign and his heart hurt. Why did that bother him? He felt himself drop the speed, keeping to the speed limit. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Finally, he reached Stark Industries. A few people stared at him as he entered. Tony Stark was notoriously late every day and today he was, early? He ignored their glances and entered his office. 

He didn't even know how he passed the time until Pepper showed up. He was reading articles or writing formulas or plotting a new idea, but somehow the clock ticked by. The door opened and Pepper walked in.

"When Arlene told me you were here early," Pepper began, a stack of folders in her arms. "I thought she was going crazy."

"Arlene never lies," Tony said. "That's why we give her the nice Christmas presents." He felt a pang in his chest at the mention of Christmas. He tried to hide that, but Pepper frowned. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Any of those for me?" He asked. She handed him the top folder. "What am I going to find in here?"

"See for yourself," Pepper said simply, keeping her voice as even as possible. He opened it, his heart pounding like crazy. He still didn't know what to do. Could he handle this kind of responsibility? Should he just let Mary's in-laws have the kid? And then his eyes saw it.

**DNA Match: 99.9%**

Tony's heart was pounding so loud now he was sure anyone could hear it. He stared at the paper, eyes wide, his throat going dry.

"M-my kid," He finally said, looking at Pepper. She nodded. "Fuck." He placed the file down and leaned back in his chair. "Fuck. What, what am I supposed to do? This kid, this kid doesn't need me as a father. I'm literally a mess." He got out of his chair and started pacing. "I barely take care of myself, how do I care for a baby? What if I break it or scar it for life? What if I'm like my dad?" Pepper just stood there and listened. When he finally stopped talking, she spoke.

"It's really not my place to say," Pepper said and Tony gave her a  _you're kidding me, right_  look. Pepper usually had no problem voicing her opinion. She had seen Tony at his worst and still was willing to work for him. "But all this worrying you're doing, that's what a parent does." He stared at her. Maybe she had a point. If he didn't want to be a father, he would've sent Mary off before she could even speak. But something drew him to this situation. Something made him want to worry. Something made him want to be a father. Pepper pointed to the file. "It's a boy, just so you know." Something in his heart melted. A son. He was going to have a son. He didn't have to let history repeat itself. He didn't have to be like his father. 

"I think," Tony started, staring at the file. "I think I'm going to be a dad." He sat back down at the desk and stared at the file. "God help me, but I'm going to be a dad." He didn't see it but Pepper smiled.

"You don't need god Tony," She said gently. "Just a little help. Now call Mary." Pepper then promptly left the office. Tony pulled out the business card that felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. He dialed the number and held his breath as he waited.

"Hello," Her heard Mary's light voice. He let out the breath he was holding. It was now or never.

"It's Tony," He said. "I want to be this kid's father." He heard Mary suck in a breath. He heard a few sniffs. Was she crying?

"Sorry pregnancy hormones," She said. He heard her blow her nose. "I'm really glad to hear that. I have to go back to DC in a few days but maybe we can arrange something when the due date is closer?"

"Of course," Tony said, trying to sound as certain as possible. "I'll have my PA send some paperwork to you to make this all official."

"Good," Mary said. "Thank you Mr. Stark. I'm glad this baby will have a father in his life." Then the call ended. Tony stared at the phone. He had done it.

He was going to be a father. God help them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	3. Tony's Inner Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You have to tell Obadiah."
> 
> "No."
> 
> "Tony."

You have to tell Obadiah."

"No."

"Tony." Tony and Pepper were in his office. Tony was sitting at his desk, looking very angrily at Pepper. Pepper, who was standing in front of the desk, had her arms crossed and was matching his gaze. Pepper had walked in that morning, with that demand and had not budged since. Tony also was not going to budge on this.

It had been a month since Mary Parker had shown up with her bombshell. After Tony's decision, she had signed the papers, rescinding her parental rights. She had to go back to DC because of her job, but they kept in touch. Her only addition to the papers was that her husband's brother, Ben, and his wife May, be put as the child's next of kin, on the chance anything happened to Tony. Tony couldn't argue with that. He knew what it was like to be orphaned and left without a family. He didn't want that for his kid. Mary sent Tony occasionally messages or updates about the baby. They had also agreed that when she was in her last month, she would come out to Malibu to prepare for the delivery. 

Since then, Tony had been reading every book on parenting. Every philosophical argument about cloth and regular diapers, he had read. He had researched the best cribs and how to set a sleeping schedule. He had researched formula and how best to prepare it. He was a genius and yet he felt like a total idiot. Everything about these parenting books made his head hurt. And asking JARVIS didn’t help. Not to mention it all made him want a drink, which he knew he couldn’t do. He wanted to be a good father, better than his own damn father, that was for sure.

So far, the only people who knew about the baby were Tony, Pepper, Mary, her husband and their in-laws. Tony hadn’t told anyone. He didn’t know how people would react. He definitely didn’t want to tell Obadiah.

“No,” Tony said. “Obie doesn’t need to know.”

“Doesn’t need to know what?” Tony bit back a groan as Obadiah Stane walked in his office. He glared at Pepper, assuming she had set him up, who simply shrugged. “Ms. Potts said you needed to talk to me.”

“I suppose she did,” Tony said through gritted teeth. Pepper just smiled politely at him. He sighed. He was going to have to tell Obadiah at some point. He couldn’t just keep a child hidden from his business partner. “I’m going to be a father.” Obadiah stared at him as if he hadn’t heard properly.

“What?” Obadiah said. “You’re going to be a what?”

“A father,” Tony said. Obadiah shook his head. Tony could feel a lecture coming on. He had known Obie for years and was sure a part of Obie only saw him as the dumb kid who inherited a job long before he was ready for it. When it came to the business, he trusted Obie. When it came to his own personal life, well that was none of his business.

“We’ve dealt with these erroneous claims before,” Obadiah said. 

“It’s my kid,” Tony said. Obadiah pursed his lips and sighed. He had an exasperated look on his face.

“These kinds of things Tony, we can make them go away,” Pepper sucked in a breath and Tony just saw red. Tony didn’t know anything could make him that angry. Apparently, he was wrong.

“This isn’t a thing,” He spat out. “This is a child. My child. And I’m not just making him go away. But if you feel that way, perhaps you need to find a new place of employment.” He could see Obadiah was annoyed but he held up his hands.

“Your mess,” He said. “Have fun cleaning it up.” And then he left the office. As soon as the door closed, Tony turned on Pepper.

“And that’s why I didn’t want to fucking tell him,” Tony spat. He was squeezing his fists, slowly losing feeling in them. “He wants to make my kid go away, as if he’s just something you can sweep under the rug!” Pepper flinched at his tone. 

“He’s just trying to protect the company,” She said, a disappointed tone in her voice. “I suppose he didn’t have to be so callous about it.

“That’s Obie,” Tony said, releasing his fists and sitting down at his desk. “Business first, to hell with everything else.” He let out a stressed breath. “That’ll be all Ms. Potts.” Pepper nodded and turned to leave.

“Be mad at me all you want,” Pepper said, turning back to face Tony. “But that proved one thing to me.” He raised an eyebrow, a glare still fixed on her. “You’re going to be a great father.” Tony’s gaze softened and she left the office. He sighed. He still felt like his blood was boiling at what Obadiah had said. But maybe Pepper was right. Hell, he didn’t know, the kid wasn’t here yet.

* * *

Tony sat on the couch in his living room later that day. One other thing became clear to him from his conversation with Obadiah. There was one other person to tell. 

“I’m in California for less than an hour,” He stood and turned towards the door, smirking. “And the first thing you do is demand I come by.” James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, stood at the door, still in full uniform. Tony chuckled and walked over to him. “You know I have a job, right?”

“Pays shit too,” Tony said. “Just admit you missed me, just a little bit.” Rhodey rolled his eyes. “C’mon. You want anything?” Rhodey glanced over at the bar, or where the bar used to be. He noticed it was strangely empty.

“You have a party recently?” Rhodey asked nodding towards the empty bar.

 “Just got rid of it,” Tony said. “All of it.” Rhodey raised an eyebrow. So long as he had known Tony, he always kept his bar fully stocked. And he certainly wasn’t one for getting rid of his alcohol. Tony patted him on the shoulder and walked over to the couch. “Gotta tell you something.” He sat down and indicated that Rhodey should do the same. Rhodey watched him with skeptical eyes, but did as he asked. 

“Tones what’s going on?” Rhodey said, noticing the shift in his friend’s demeanor. Tony sighed.

“You remember that gorgeous brunette from my holiday party?” Tony asked.

“The one who you had to charm to death just to get her into bed?” Rhodey asked and Tony winced a little but nodded. “What about her?”

“She’s pregnant,” Rhodey stared at him, not sure if he had heard that right. “Kid’s mine.”

“Christ Tony,” Rhodey said. “You sure?” Tony nodded. Rhodey sighed. “Damn. What’d you do, pay her off?” Tony shook his head.

“Mary doesn’t want to be a mother,” Tony said. “It was either me or her in-laws.” Rhodey glanced at him. Tony was serious, more serious than Rhodey had ever seen him. 

“Tony,” Rhodey said, looking the other man straight in the eye. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Tony chuckled nervously and shrugged. 

“Rhodey I’m scared shitless,” Tony said. “But this is my kid and if I can even be a tenth of a better father than mine was, then maybe it’ll all be okay.” Rhodey nodded and clapped Tony on the shoulder.

“Well then,” Rhodey said. “Congrats dad. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.” 

“Good,” Tony said. “Because my kid is calling you Uncle and that’s final.”

“Damn straight,” Rhodey said. “After the shit you’ve put me through, I better be his favorite uncle.” Tony chuckled. “You’re really gonna be a dad, huh? You scared?”

“Shitless,” Tony said. “But it feels right.” Rhodey nodded. “I’ve been reading every parenting book I can get my hands on and baby proofing this house.” Rhodey nodded, a surprised look on his face. “JARVIS has searched every baby related query under the sun for me.”

“Incorrect sir,” JARVIS’s voice broke in. “That would be statistically impossible.” Rhodey chuckled and Tony rolled his eyes. 

“That why you dumped the booze?” Rhodey asked, nodding towards the empty bar. Tony nodded. “Proud of you man. If you had told me that the messed up kid I met at MIT would just need fatherhood to set his head right, I’d have laughed in your face.” 

“Well don’t crown me fixed yet,” Tony said. “Baby’s gotta be born first.” Rhodey’s eyes lit up. 

“What is it?” Rhodey asked. “You know the gender. Uncle Rhodey’s got to start looking for some Air Force onesies.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“A boy,” Rhodey smiled. “Stop that." 

“Man, that kid is going to have you wrapped around his little finger,” Tony chuckled and swatted at Rhodey. Rhodey stood up. “Alright I actually have Air Force work to do, but thanks for letting me know.”

“Of course,” Tony said. Rhodey clapped Tony on the shoulder again before leaving the house. Tony sat back down and picked up one of the many parenting books around the house. He sat back and began reading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my Tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	4. The Birth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having a pregnant woman staying with him was probably the weirdest thing Tony had ever experienced.

Having a pregnant woman staying with him was probably the weirdest thing Tony had ever experienced.

As promised, Mary took time off work once she reached the last month of pregnancy. Her husband didn’t come with. It seemed as though he wasn’t too interested in watching his wife give birth to someone else’s baby (who could blame him?). Mary was texting updates to the in-laws that were the next of kin she had asked for. May, Mary’s sister-in-law, seemed close with the other woman and seemed to want to know as much about the baby as possible. Tony made a mental note to keep her involved, even if she and her husband did live in Queens.

Mary was staying in one of the guest room and mostly kept to herself. She’d read or walk around the house, but did her best to stay out of Tony’s way. The spoke briefly, simple hellos and other greetings. Tony would ask about the baby and Mary would tell him how everything was going.

They were essentially strangers living under the same roof.

But today, Tony found Mary staring at him, an amused expression on her face. Tony was sitting on the floor of the guest room closest to his room. It was slowly becoming the nursery. It had been painted, blue because Rhodey had been the one to buy the paint, and decorated, with toys and books supplied by Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy (who had been both shocked and amused by Tony’s announcement). There was a rocking chair in one corner and a changing table in another. There was a wardrobe full of clothes, more than a baby probably needed but Tony was big on going overboard. The only thing left for the nursery was the crib. Which Tony and Rhodey were desperately trying to assemble. Mary was standing in the doorway, chuckling at the struggling men.

“I’m a genius Rhodey,” Tony huffed in frustration. “I should be able to assemble a fucking crib.”

“Easy Tones,” Rhodey said holding up the directions. “We’ll figure it out.” Mary let out a laugh.

“Something you’d like to share with the class?” Tony huffed glancing at the pregnant woman. She shook her head and chuckled. She leaned against the door, her hand protectively on her bump. The more she watched Tony, the more she was glad he’d agree to her crazy idea. Maybe he had some issues, but it was clear he was going to love this kid. 

“You thought of names?” Rhodey asked, assembling the legs of the crib. Tony glanced at the woman in the doorway who nodded.

“We’ve been talking about it,” Tony said. “Trying to find a good Irish and Italian name.” 

“We settled on Peter,” She said with a soft smile. “Peter Benjamin.” Tony looked at her and smiled. As much as Mary didn’t want to be a mother, Tony didn’t want to erase her from this process. He wasn’t going to ignore that she was bringing the kid into the world. 

“Peter Benjamin Stark,” Rhodey said nodding. “That’s a strong name.” Tony smiled and nodded. He looked at the pregnant woman in the doorway who gave him a happy nod. She appreciated being included, even if she couldn’t be a mother. She could tell that no matter what, that little boy was going to be loved.  

A pain seized up in her and Mary hissed. Tony looked over to see her holding the bump in pain.

“You okay?” He asked, looking at her. She nodded pursing her lips. “Is that the first time this has happened today?” Mary shook her head.

“It’s been happening every couple of hours since last night,” Mary said. “The last one was an hour ago.”

“Sounds like contractions,” Rhodey said. “I think you’re going into labor.” Mary bit her lip. She knew that was very likely the case. 

“Okay,” Tony said, slowly standing up. “Let’s just stay calm.” Everyone nodded, Rhodey standing up as well. They were all calm, everything was going to be fine.

Until Mary doubled over again, hissing in pain. 

“Shit,” Tony said. 

* * *

 

It was all a blur from there. Tony rushing Mary to the hospital while Rhodey called Pepper and Happy. There were so many more things to do now that the baby was about to be born. Happy and Rhodey were in charge of finishing setting everything up, while Pepper went to the hospital. She also needed to keep the fact that Tony Stark was bringing a woman in labor to the hospital under wraps. There were so many NDAs to be signed.

Tony’s only focus was the baby about to be born. Mary was calm, weirdly calm for someone about to birth a child. She just breathed and attempted to fill the time with humor. She could tell Tony was slowly freaking out. All this planning and now the time was coming. 

A few hours later, Peter Benjamin Stark came into the world. He was so small, but the doctors said that was fine. He still screamed as loud as any baby and Tony’s heart filled with joy. Seeing that squirming little baby, his baby, he felt like his heart would burst with love. The nurse asked Mary if she wanted to hold him and she shook her head and looked at Tony. The nurse walked over to him, holding the swaddled baby. She placed him in his arms and Tony stared down at the tiny baby in his arms. 

The baby squirmed a little before settling. Tony stared wordlessly at him. All he could think was this was his son, his child. He could feel his eyes tearing up. He was holding the most precious thing in the world to him.

“Hey Peter,” He said looking down at his son. God, his son. “Welcome to the world kiddo. Guess you’re my whole world now.” Mary watched them, a sleepy smile on her face. Tony held the baby closely continuing to whisper to him. 

Yeah, they were both going to be okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	5. Holding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Mr. Stark?” A nurse approached him. “Would you like to see your son?”

Letting the nurses take Peter away was horrendously difficult for Tony. He didn’t want to let him go now that he had them. But they assured him it was just to make sure the baby was 100 percent healthy. Tony had snapped a quick polaroid of the newborn baby and left Mary to rest. He found Pepper and Rhodey waiting in the hallway. 

“Well?” Pepper asked. Tony held up the Polaroid. Pepper’s eyes softened and her face melted into a smile.  

“Oh,” She said, gently taking the photo. “Tony, he’s precious.” Rhodey nodded glancing at the photo. 

“When can his Uncle Rhodey meet him?” Rhodey asked with a smile. Tony smiled, his heart aching a little without having Peter in his arms.

“Soon,” Tony said. “He’s just getting a check-up.” He cleared his throat, feeling his eyes well up with tears. God, this kid was already wrecking his emotions. “Actually I need that photo mailed.” He offered Pepper a folded piece of paper. “Can you overnight that to the address?” Pepper nodded and took the paper and gently squeezing Tony’s hand.

“He’s beautiful,” She said before walking away with the paper and photo. Tony tried to slyly wipe the tears away but Rhodey saw, not that he had said anything.

“Mr. Stark?” A nurse approached him. “Would you like to see your son?” Tony nodded and the nurse looked at Rhodey, a little uncertainty in her eyes.

“He’s my son’s godfather,” Tony said. “He’s family.” The nurse nodded and led the way towards the nursery. They stood outside the window staring at the room full of newborn babies. Tony smiled widely when he saw Peter. He pointed and Rhodey smiled. 

"Damn Tony," Rhodey said. "That's your son." The nurse was gone now and he turned to Tony. "Did you mean that? About me being the kid's godfather?" Tony nodded. 

"You've been there for me, when most people weren't," Tony said. "And I know you'll be there for my kid, so yeah, I want you to be his godfather." Rhodey smiled and touched his chest.

"You got me right here Tones," Tony rolled his eyes and pushed Rhodey playfully. They heard a clicking of heels and they saw Pepper approaching.

"It's been sent," She said. Tony nodded. "Where is he?" Tony pointed to Peter, a smile on his face. Pepper looked and him and cooed, something that made Tony smile. "He's so precious. Is it okay that he's so small?" Tony nodded. She put her hand on the window and smiled. Tony wanted to ask Pepper to be Peter’s godmother, but he didn’t know if it was appropriate. She was his PA after all. Sure, she’d seen him in some lousy situations, but at the end of the day, he was her boss. The three of them stood at the window, just watching Peter, a smile on all their faces.

* * *

May Parker sat on the couch reading. The apartment phone sat a few feet away from her. She knew Mary would be going into labor at any point. All she wanted to hear was that she and the baby were okay. She knew Mary didn’t want to be a mother, that Mary and Richard’s relationship was anything but conventional. But May cared about her nephew, even if he wasn’t born yet. Having kids wasn’t something May or Ben had talked about, but May had a soft side for babies and her own nephew was no exception.

There was a knock on the door. May put the book down and went over. On the other side of the door stood a FedEx worker. She signed for the manila envelope in his hand and then he was gone. She stared at the overnight envelope. Once she saw the California address, she tore it open, hoping it was what she thought it was.

Her heart melted when she saw the polaroid. Peter Benjamin it read. She smiled at the picture of her nephew.

“Good job Mary,” She said quietly, holding the picture close. “Good job.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone needs a Platypus as their uncle, right? 
> 
> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	6. First Day Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few days later, Tony was finally allowed to take his son home. Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper has assured him that everything was set up (including that god forsaken crib that they couldn’t build). Tony was shaking with excitement. He had been able to hold Peter, but mostly the nurses took care of him. It was now Tony’s turn to be the caretaker.

A few days later, Tony was finally allowed to take his son home. Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper has assured him that everything was set up (including that god forsaken crib that they couldn’t build). Tony was shaking with excitement. He had been able to hold Peter, but mostly the nurses took care of him. It was now Tony’s turn to be the caretaker. And he was weirdly excited.  

He walked down to Mary’s room. He hadn’t spoken to her since the previous day. She had mostly been resting and pumping breast milk for Peter. Tony wanted to stop in and talk to her before he took Peter home. But when he got to the room it was empty. He looked around, noticing how it had been cleared out. A nurse walked in.

“Where’s,” He started looking around. The nurse sighed and simply handed Tony a piece of paper.

“She left last night,” The nurse said. “Asked me to give you this.” The nurse turned and left the room. Tony stared at the note, a little shocked. He took a breath before beginning to read.

_Tony,_

_Thank you for everything. I know I asked a lot of you, but I’m so happy that I did. It’s clear to me that you will love Peter with all of your heart. I’m glad that he will grow up with a wonderful father._

_Thank you,_

_Mary Parker_  

Tony sighed as he folded the note. After everything he had learned about Mary, he shouldn’t have been surprised that she took off without a word. That was Mary Parker, a mystery. He left the room with a sigh. Motherhood wasn’t for Mary and that was okay. Because his son had him and that was his main focus.

* * *

 

Driving with a baby was the most stressful thing Tony had experienced. Getting Peter into the car seat and been nothing. The little baby had kicked a little and gurgled, but nothing too dramatic. But once the car seat was strapped in and the car started moving? Well Peter did not like that. Tony sat in the back while Happy drove. As soon as the car was in motion, Peter started to wail. 

“It’s alright Peter,” Tony said, reaching over to soothe his son. All he wanted was to take Peter out of the car seat and hold him, but he couldn’t. Peter continued to wail even as Tony tried to calm him down. He tried tickling the baby, gently stroking his forehead, and even making funny faces. Nothing soothed the baby until they finally got him.

“We’re home Petey,” Tony said, breathing out a sigh of relief. Peter stopped crying but there were still tears on his face. Tony reached over and gently wiped them away. Peter stared at him and made a gurgling noise. Tony chuckled and unhooked Peter from the car seat. He scooted out of the car, holding Peter tightly.

“Welcome home buddy,” Tony said as he walked in. Peter stared at him gurgled some more. “You’ll grow to love it.” Tony walked around, surveying everything that was set up. Every outlet had been baby-proofed. There was a plastic gate blocking the stairs to his lab. There was an assortment of toys and mats in his living. Any glass piece of furniture was gone.

His home has been thoroughly prepared for a baby. 

Tony sat down on the couch and gently bounced Peter on his knee. The baby gurgled and grabbed for his shirt. Even with his grabby hands, Peter was small and couldn’t get much of the fabric in his hands. He made a strange sound, almost of discontent. Tony chuckled and continued to just bounce Peter up and down. Pepper walked in and almost felt bad to interrupt. She cleared her throat and Tony stood up, still holding Peter close to him.

“I have to go back to the office,” Pepper said. “Someone has to work around here.”

“It’s called paternity leave,” Tony said. “And you got me two months of it to look at this guy.” He said, lifting Peter in the air and then bringing him back down. It elicited a sort of gurgle from Peter, which Tony was going to pretend was a laugh. Pepper rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m just a phone call away,” Pepper said. “So are Rhodey and Happy.”

“So you’re all just leaving me then?” He asked, with a raise of an eyebrow. “No I get it, test the new dad out, make sure he’s ready. I promise I won’t break the kid.” Pepper smiled a little. Tony was making a joke, but he was, in fact, terrified. He was worried that if he was left alone with Peter, he would do something stupid. But he also had a 50/50 chance of being great as a parent. His dad had been awful, but his mom? Well, Tony just hoped he had inherited her love and kindness.

“I know you won’t,” Pepper said, before turning and leaving. Once the door shut, Tony let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Guess it’s just you and me kid,” Tony said. Peter scrunched up his face. Tony wrinkled his nose, realizing what his kid had just done. “Gross kid.” Peter gurgled in response. “Alright, new dad test number 1, diaper changing.” He carried Peter off to the nursery, sure that changing a diaper wouldn’t be that hard.

* * *

 

Diaper changing was no easy task. For as small as he was, Peter was so wriggly. He moved around so much that Tony had a hard time wiping him down. And then once he was about to remove the messy diaper, Peter peed on him. It was gross, but unfortunately not the grossest thing Tony had experienced. Peter just gurgled at him the whole time, while Tony basically fought his kids kicking legs and bodily fluids.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he finally got the kid changed. Tony sat down in the rocking chair, holding Peter against his chest.

“I’m sure I like domestic as all heck right now,” Tony said, slowly rocking himself back and forth. Peter just stared at Tony, slowly trying to catch bits of his shirt. Tony took the chance to really study his son. He essentially looked like an alien, not that Tony knew what that looked like. Based on all his research, babies really didn’t get cute until like six months in. But even with his pale skin and tiny eyes, his kid was perfect. He had Peter for a week and he already couldn’t imagine not having him around. Peter’s eyes started to close and Tony couldn’t help but smile. Had he just successfully rocked his own son to sleep? Peter’s tiny hands stopped trying to grab at Tony’s shirt, answering his question.

Tony slowly stopped rocking and carefully got out of the chair. He walked over to the crib, glad that Rhodey had finished it. He placed the sleeping baby in the crib. He stared at his son, fast asleep for a little while. God, he loved that kid so much already.

“JARVIS,” Tony said, just loud enough for the AI to hear. “Let me know when Peter wakes up.”

“Absolutely sir,” JARVIS intoned. Tony took one last look at his son and then decided to head down to the workshop. He could probably get like an hour of work in before Peter woke up.

* * *

He was right on the money about the hour. Exactly sixty minutes after he put Peter down, JARVIS alerted him that Peter was awake. By the time he got upstairs, Peter was crying loudly.

“It’s okay buddy,” Tony said, scooping Peter up. “It’s alright, I’m here.” He held Peter close to him, one hand supporting his neck and the other holding him up. He thought it would’ve felt awkward or odd, but it felt natural already. He walked around the nursery, bouncing the baby in his arms until Peter calmed down. Peter looked at Tony, tears still on his face. Even with his tiny face, he still had the biggest brown eyes that Tony had seen.

“It’s okay bambino,” Tony said. Peter gurgled and Tony smiled. “Do you like that, bambino? God, I haven’t used Italian in so long. Except for my last trip to Italy, which was a catastrophe. I’ll tell you about it someday. Scratch that, I’ll never tell you about that. Need you liking your old man for as long as possible.” Peter gurgled again. Tony just smiled and kissed the top of his head.

“Alright bambino,” Tony said. “Let’s go find something to do.” Peter just grabbed for Tony’s shirt in response. Tony just shook his head and headed down towards the living room, holding his kid close the whole way there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love stories where Tony calls Peter bambino, so you can be sure that I'll use it here.


	7. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t recognize the number, which was odd. Not too many people had his personal number. He stared at it for a second, before answering. Something told him he should.

Tony was used to not sleeping. He did his best work on limited sleep. But he always chose to do that. This wasn’t his choice. Running into Peter’s room at 3 AM because babies don’t sleep much was a slow adjustment. Rhodey argued that Tony needed to use the times when Peter was asleep to get some sleep of his own, but Tony just shrugged him off. But after a week of Peter constantly waking up every two hours, Tony knew he needed to take Rhodey’s advice. Mostly because he was exhausted and no amount of coffee was going to change that.

It was currently midnight. Tony had put Peter down hours ago and this was the third time Peter had woke up. First, a simple bottle had put him back to sleep. The second time, it was a diaper change. Now, well now Peter was just fussy. He wasn’t crying, but he kept grabbing at everything, Tony’s shirt, Tony’s hair, any toy near him. Tony was currently walking around the living room, trying to soothe Peter back to sleep. He sat down on the floor where there was a small play area set up. He put Peter on his back and then made faces at him. The baby just gurgled in response. Tony sighed. Just then, his phone rang. It was on the couch, so Tony grabbed it, without taking his eye off Peter.

He didn’t recognize the number, which was odd. Not too many people had his personal number. He stared at it for a second, before answering. Something told him he should. 

“Hello?”

“Oh um hi,” He didn’t recognize the voice, but it was a woman’s voice. “I didn’t expect you would answer this.”

“Who is this?” Tony asked, feeling a little defensive. “How did you get this number?”

“Mary gave it to me,” The woman said. “My name is May Parker.”

“Oh you’re the sister-in-law,” Tony said, tension leaving his body. “I’m assuming Mary gave you this number?”

“Yeah,” May said. She sounded polite enough and maybe a little uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if that was her personality or just her dealing with someone like Tony for the first time. “I wanted to thank you for the picture of Peter. My husband Ben and I appreciated it.”

“Well I was under the impression that you were invested in knowing about Peter,” Tony said, glancing down at his son. “I can send more if you’d like.”

“Oh I’d like that,” May said. “I’d also like to come and meet Peter, if that’s alright. He is my nephew after all.” Tony thought about it. He had figured that he would never hear from any Parker after Mary disappeared. But it was clear that this May woman was invested in meeting and knowing Peter. It was sweet. 

“Oh um sure,” Tony said. “I’ll have my PA get in contact with you about that. She may ask you to sign some NDA’s as well. Trying to keep the press away from Peter for as long as possible.”

“Of course,” May said. “And I find that admirable, Mr. Stark. I look forward to hearing from you.” And then the call ended. Tony stared at his phone.

“You hear that bambino?” Tony said. “Your aunt wants to meet you. She sounds nice. I’m a little surprised, but family’s good right?” Peter gurgled and just grabbed at the air. Tony scooped Peter up and blew a raspberry on his stomach. Peter gurgled loudly in response.

“Time to try and get you back to bed, bambino,” Tony said. He stood up and headed back to the nursery, hoping he could get his fussy kid to sleep.

* * *

“So they’re coming here?”’ 

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Tony sighed. He was standing in the kitchen, waiting for coffee to brew. Rhodey was standing a few feet away from him, holding Peter. Peter was gurgling as always. Tony figured it was the kid’s way of communicating and it would eventually progress. The kid was only two months old. Tony had to go back to work soon, something he was not looking forward to. He had got to spend the last two months with his kid. He didn’t want to imagine spending even a few hours away from him.

Rhodey was currently pestering him about the fact that May and her husband were visiting. May was keen on meeting her nephew and her husband had the signed the NDA’s as well. Tony didn’t know what to make of the woman from Queens. All he knew was she cared about Peter and that was enough for Tony.

“Because they want to meet Peter,” Tony said. Peter made a noise and held out his arms for Tony. Tony smiled and took his kid from Rhodey. Peter happily grabbed at Tony’s shirt.

“It just seems weird to me,” Rhodey said. “Mary didn’t want to be a part of the kid’s life. Why do they?” Tony sighed. Mary had taken off and Tony hadn’t heard from her since the letter, not that he expected to.

“Some people aren’t that unattached,” Tony said. Rhodey gave him a look. “Look, Peter’s not going to have a massive family. He’s got me, you, Pepper, and Happy. What’s wrong with adding two more people?”

“What about Obadiah?” Tony sighed. Obie had sent his well-wishes after Peter was born and some sort of gift from Babies ‘R Us. But he hadn’t met Peter. It was clear that Obie wasn’t interested in anything to do with Peter. Which after his reaction when Tony told him, was fine with him. Obadiah was his business partner. Everything else could be separate. Rhodey noticed Tony’s sigh and decided to move on from that.

“And you’re sure they can be trusted?” Rhodey asked. “I mean this isn’t just any child. You’re Tony Stark. That kind of means something.”

“They signed NDAs,” Tony said. “So they couldn’t talk about it if they wanted, which I don’t think they do.” He checked the time, forgetting all about the coffee. “I need to get Peter dressed. They’ll be here in an hour. You’re welcome to stay, especially since you believe you have my best interest at heart.” He walked off down the hall, leaving Rhodey who was rolling his eyes.

“I do have your best interest at heart,” Rhodey retorted. “And put that kid in the air force onesie, I bought him!” 

“Nope!” Rhodey scoffed and headed towards the couch. He would stick around, because he wanted to make sure everything was okay and he wasn’t working that day anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Aunt May. So yes I will be incorporating her in this story, thank you for asking.


	8. The Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper had been tasked with picking May and Ben up from the airport. Mostly because Peter still cried in cars and Tony hadn’t figured out how to keep him calm yet.

Pepper had been tasked with picking May and Ben up from the airport. Mostly because Peter still cried in cars and Tony hadn’t figured out how to keep him calm yet. Happy drove and Pepper sat up front, leaving the couple from Queens to sit in the back. Pepper and May made polite conversation. Ben Parker didn’t seem interested in talking. Pepper was starting to get the impression that he didn’t want to be there. They finally got to the house and Pepper led the inside, noticing the frown on Ben’s face as they entered.

“Mr. Stark?” Pepper called as they entered. Tony was in the living room with Rhodey. He was holding Peter, who was wearing a blue onesie with little bears on it. Pepper led the two over. 

“Mrs. Parker,” Tony said, holding out his free hand. May didn’t shake it, instead looking right at the baby in his arms.

“Oh he’s adorable,” May cooed. Tony couldn’t help but smile. “Would you mind if I held him?” Tony handed the baby to her, who stared at May with a confused look on her face. Tony turned towards Ben. He towered over him, both in size and intensity. He was frowning and looked completely unimpressed to be there. Tony stuck his hand out.

“Yeah I know who you are Mr. Stark,” Ben said. May shot him a look and Ben sighed before shaking his hand.

“Colonel James Rhodes,” Rhodey said, getting up and trying to cut the tension. Ben raised an eyebrow. Rhodey could sense the tension and was trying to reduce.

“Ben Parker,” He said. “Colonel in the military?” Rhodey snorted.

“Air Force,” Rhodey said. “Don’t get me started on those military boys.” Ben smirked a little.

“Ben’s a cop,” May said. “And he hates firefighters.” 

“Gotta hate guys who think their force is better than yours,” Ben said. Rhodey nodded, a small smirk on his face.

“Ben, come here,” May said. Ben walked over to his wife, who was talking quietly to the baby. Pepper and Rhodey moved so they were standing on either side of Tony.

“He’s fun,” Tony grumbled.

“You invited him here,” Rhodey pointed out. Tony sighed, knowing Rhodey had a point. He had had no idea what Ben Parker was going to be like, but it was clear he didn’t like him. He couldn’t blame him. He’d had sex with Ben’s brother’s wife. That was complicated enough, but May wanting to actually meet Peter just added to the complications. May finally walked back over with the baby, who was clearing lolling off to sleep.

“I think it’s someone’s nap time,” She said, staring down lovingly at the baby. She handed Peter to Tony.

“I’ll be right back,” Tony said, taking his son gently, as to not wake him. He then disappeared down the hall.

“So how long are you two here?” Rhodey asked.

“We were able to both get a week off,” May said. “I had some vacation time saved up and Ben never takes a vacation, so his chief was more than happy to give him the time off.” Tony came back into the room. Ben noticed his hands were empty and there were none of those little walkie talkies that most parents carried around when their baby was sleeping. 

“How are you going to know when he’s awake?” Ben asked, looking over at Tony. May nudged his arm. She knew her husband was uncomfortable, but he certainly was being harsh for no reason.

“Mr. Stark has an AI set up in the house,” Pepper said. “I believe JARVIS lets him know when Peter’s awake, isn’t that right JARVIS?”

“That is correct Ms. Potts,” May and Ben looked at the ceiling a little bewildered. May smirked, somewhat impressed, but Ben just rolled his eyes.

“Would anyone like anything?” Tony asked. “Water, coffee, a knife to cut this tension?” May laughed politely and Ben rolled his eyes again before sitting on the couch.

“We’re okay,” May said, sitting down next to her husband. Pepper turned to Tony. 

“I think you have this handled,” She said. Tony sent her a pleading look. “I’m leaving now Mr. Stark.” 

“Please don’t leave me with these two,” He whispered, glancing at May and Ben. Pepper shook her head and patted his shoulder.

“I have a job to do,” Pepper said. “Since you go back to work next week.” Tony sighed and then Pepper left. He walked over to the seat in the living room and sat down.

“So,” Ben said. “How do you run a company and care for a newborn? Nannies?” Tony bit back a growl. He did not like this Ben guy.

“Tony’s been on paternity leave,” Rhodey said. “Took time off for his son.”

“I guess CEO’s can bend the rules,” Ben said and May elbowed him. Tony glanced at Rhodey. He was slowly losing patience with the other man. May shot her husband a look, warning him. She didn’t want to lose the chance to know her nephew because of Ben’s preconceived notions of who Tony Stark was. Mary trusted him, that was enough for May. But Ben’s allegiance was with his younger brother. The chances of him being anything more than cordial to Tony was slim to none.

“When do you have to go back to work?” May asked, trying to cut the tension.

“Monday,” Tony said. He didn’t want to, but Obadiah had been lecturing him about getting back to work. This coming from the man who had barely congratulated him on the birth of his son and hadn’t even met the kid (not that Tony wanted him to, but it was the sentiment that counted).

“So a nanny then,” Ben said.

“Well he can’t very well bring a two month old to an office,” Rhodey said, feeling defensive for his friend. Tony gave him a look, as if he was mulling that over. “You can’t.”

“We could watch him,” May offered. The three men in the room gave her a look. “Well if would solve your childcare problem for a little while and we’re here.” Ben grumbled something and she elbowed him again. “And he’s our nephew and we want to.” Rhodey glanced at Tony. Tony was unsure, mostly because of Ben. Clearly the cop didn’t like him, but he didn’t have much proof of how Ben felt about Peter. Could he trust, essentially strangers with his son? 

“It’s better than a nanny,” Ben offered, attempting a polite smile. May smiled, satisfied at her husband’s response.

“We’d really be happy to Mr. Stark,” May said, smiling. “We want to be a part of Peter’s life.” Tony sighed. May was very sincere and it was clear she already adored his son. And he hadn’t found a nanny yet (mostly because he was in denial that he had to go back to work).

“I suppose we can try it,” Tony said. “Since you’ll be here for the week anyways.” May nodded, a triumphant smile on her face. Ben didn’t say anything, just glanced at his wife, who was smiling happily.

“Sir,” JARVIS’s voice interrupted, startling May and Ben. “It seems Peter is awake.”

“That was fast,” Tony mumbled. He went to get up, but May stopped him.

“Could I?” May said. Tony shrugged and May hurried down the hall. Out of curiosity, Rhodey followed her. That just left Ben and Tony. 

“I don’t like you,” Ben said, getting up and walking towards the window. Tony rolled his eyes. That much was clear. “I don’t like what Mary did to my brother. But he loves her and made a promise to her.” He turned around to face Tony. “I’m not going to change how I feel about a pig like you. But May already loves that kid, even if he isn’t blood-related to her.”

“I think having your own kid might be easier,” Tony said, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair.

“Well we can’t,” Ben said. “And that just about eats May up.” Tony frowned, feeling sorry for the woman. It was clear she wanted children, but clearly couldn’t. “Peter’s the closest thing she’s ever going to get and I’m fine with that. But don’t expect cordial behavior from me. I’m here for my wife and that kid. Nothing more, nothing less.” Tony nodded.

“Got it,” Tony said. “Loud and clear.” They sat in silence. A part of Tony was surprised that Ben had even been willing to say that much to him. But he was also glad he had drawn a line. That meant Tony didn’t have to worry about being polite to the other man either. Tony got up and went towards the kitchen. May came back into the room holding Peter, Rhodey trailing behind her. She walked over to the couch and sat down with the baby. Rhodey crossed over to Tony.

“She’s great with the kid,” Rhodey said. He noticed the less than thrilled look on Tony’s face. “What?”

“Just had an enlightening conversation with May’s husband,” Tony said. “He really doesn’t like me.”

“Gonna do anything about it?” Rhodey asked and Tony shook his head. In Tony’s eyes, Ben Parker simply wasn’t worth it. He’d dealt with people who hated him before. What was one more to the list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You thought Ben was going to be nice to Tony? Pfffft
> 
> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	9. Back to Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monday morning, Tony stood at the front door, in a brand new suit, dreading leaving the house. He resisted the urge to remove the tie, which felt like it was choking him. Everything in him was stressed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a lot of people were critical of Ben. Yes, he was not very nice. But Tony needed a little antagonism in his life.
> 
> Also, yes, I got the police officers hating firefighters from Brooklyn 99.

Monday morning, Tony stood at the front door, in a brand new suit, dreading leaving the house. He resisted the urge to remove the tie, which felt like it was choking him. Everything in him was stressed out. As much as he trusted May (she was extremely good with the kid), he just didn’t want to leave Peter. He had spent the last two months spending almost every moment with the kid. He could've hired a nanny to do all the hard work. But he had wanted to do it. From the moment he held Peter, he knew he wanted to do better than his father ever could. Part of that made him hate his father more. Howard was always fine leaving Tony with a nanny or Jarvis, never even blinked twice about. Yet Tony stood there, feeling sick to his stomach, at the thought of leaving Peter for mere hours.

“It’ll be fine,” May said. It was clear she was trying to assure Tony and if he hadn't been so stressed, he would have appreciated it. She was holding Peter, who still had the onesie he slept in on. He was babbling and grabbing at May’s ponytail. If it bothered her, she didn’t show it. Peter was a very grabby baby. He’d yanked at Tony’s hair more times than he cared to admit. While it hurt, it always got a coo out of Peter and Tony couldn’t be mad at that. “I have your cell phone number, your office number, and Ms. Potts’ number. We’ll be fine.”

“Go on Stark,” Ben said, a bored look on his face. While Tony trusted May, he did not feel the same way about Ben. The cop had made it clear that he didn't like or respect Tony. Maybe that was where his stress was coming from. “Company can’t run itself.” Tony purses his lips at Ben’s comment and walked up to May. He leaned down to look at Peter.

“I’ll see you later, okay buddy?” Tony said. Peter babbled and Tony couldn’t help but smile. Then he cleared his throat and straightened up. “I’ll be back no later than six.” May nodded, a kind smile on her face. He then turned and left, before he could stop himself from going to work altogether. Happy was standing by the car. 

“All good boss?” Happy asked, raising an eyebrow. Tony nodded and got in on the driver’s side, ignoring Happy’s usual complaints. Tony just reminded him that he had a son now, so Happy was going to get to drive the kid around a lot, which just annoyed Happy more. Clearly, Uncle Happy was not excited to be a child's chauffeur. Tony pushed back the longing he had to run back into the house and hold his son. He revved the car and drove to the office, gripping the steering wheel the whole way there.

* * *

 

“I’m impressed,” He was leaving a meeting, Pepper walking in step with him. The meeting was about a new deal Stark Industries was working on. The meeting had been extraordinarily boring and Tony had just muttered sarcastic responses, as always. All he could think about was his kid. He constantly checked his watch and tried to fight the urge to just leave. He had wanted to call May the moment he got in, but resisted that too. He needed to focus on the company, as difficult as that was going to be.

“And what have I done that’s so impressive Ms. Potts?” Tony asked as they walked towards his office. 

“Rhodey thought you’d bail after the first hour,” Pepper said with a smirk. Tony rolled his eyes. Of course Rhodey had bet against him and his patience. “And here you are, already halfway through the day. Good job, dad.”

“You know I had a dream once that you’d call me that,” Tony said. “Was under much different circumstances.” Pepper just rolled her eyes. They reached his office door.

“Will that be all Mr. Stark?” Pepper asked.

“Yes thank you Ms. Potts,” Tony said with a smirk before going into his office. He sat down at his desk and quickly woke his computer up. He clicked on a program and it pulled up video of his house. He had never had a need to have cameras in his house. But then Peter was born. He knew JARVIS recorded everything, but he wanted to make sure his son was safe when he was in the workshop. So he had installed a camera in Peter's room. But when May offered to watch Peter for the week, along with her less than enthused husband, Tony made a few alterations to the system.

He was a billionaire and genius, of course he had a nanny cam.

Ben Parker made him annoyed and a little nervous. He clicked through the screens, seeing the kitchen was empty, along with Peter's room. He finally opened up the living room. He watched as May sat on the couch with Peter in her lap, Peter lying on his back on her lap. She was making faces at him, eliciting babbles and gurgles from the baby. Ben was sitting next to her and Tony was shocked to see a genuine smile on the gruff man’s face. It was clear that while he hated Tony, he loved seeing May happy. Peter babbled again and grabbed for May's hair, eliciting a hug smile from May. Ben leaned over and kissed May's cheek. Tony sighed and closed the program.

He could trust them with his son.

* * *

By the end of the day, Tony was just itching to get home to his son. The last few meetings he sat in, he couldn't stop bouncing his leg. Obadiah kept shooting him looks, as if telling him to stop. He could tell his antsy behavior in those meetings was annoying Obadiah, but he didn’t really care. He wanted to go home and see his son. As soon as his last meeting of the day was over, Tony grabbed his things and nearly raced to the car. As soon as he started moving, he could see the stress in Happy, just attempting to keep up. He got into the driver's seat and frowned as he waited for Happy to get into the car, Happy complaining the whole time. He then started the car up. He drove, definitely above the speed limit, but he didn’t care. He was home in a flash and quickly entered the house.

“Stark,” Ben said, nearly pushing past him to leave. Tony held back an eye roll, but couldn’t help but smile when he saw Peter. He scooped the baby out of May’s arms and kissed his head. Peter babbled and grabbed and Tony's face. Tony felt the tension in his heart subside, finally. He bounced Peter in his arms, glad to be home and with his son.

“He was great all day,” May said, with a smile. He knew that, but he wouldn't tell her that. “We’ll be back tomorrow.” He nodded as she left. As soon as the door shut, Tony held Peter close, peppering his son’s face with kisses.

“I missed you bambino,” Tony said. “Did you miss me?” And then Peter giggled. Tony’s eyes widened. It wasn’t a babble or a gurgle, it was a giggle. “Did you just laugh buddy?” Peter did it again and Tony’s heart melted. “JARVIS, did you get that?”

“Yes sir,” JARVIS intoned. “I’ve saved it under the Peter file.” Tony smiled and kissed Peter's head again.

“Come on bambino,” Tony said. “Time for dinner.” Peter laughed again and Tony carried him into the kitchen.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	10. First Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony couldn’t believe his son was already six months old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be ready for some tooth-rooting FLUFF.

Tony couldn’t believe his son was already six months old. After having May (and technically Ben) care for Peter for his first week back at work, Tony had found a nanny, Mrs. Moscowitz. She was a nice woman, but Tony really only employed her part-time. She didn't seem to mind; she talked incessantly about a library she volunteered at and a part time schedule gave her more time to work there. He worked from home as much as he could. What was the point of having a multi-million dollar workshop if you couldn't use it? If Rhodey was around, Rhodey would watch Peter so that Tony could call him every hour to check in. Mrs. Moscowitz was nice, but Tony just hated being away from his son. He was sure Obadiah hated it, but Tony didn't care. Peter came first.

Peter splashed around, grabbing different toys and then throwing them into the water, giggling when they splashed. Tony had already done his job for the bath, he just liked watching his kid have a good time.

“Sir,” JARVIS said. Peter looked up at the ceiling and frowned. Peter was a baby, so the whole noise from above was confusing to him. Someday he’d get it, but probably not until he was a child and not a baby. “Ms. Potts is here.”

“Tell her where we are Jar,” Tony said, scooping Peter out of the water. Peter whined in response, until Tony wrapped him a fuzzy towel. He heard the familiar clicking of heels as Pepper got closer to the bathroom. She reached the door just as Tony finished drying Peter off.

“Ms. Potts,” Tony said, glancing up from Peter. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I need you to sign a few things,” Pepper said, manila folders in her perfectly manicured hands. “Since you insisted on working from home today.” Tony smirked as he moved past her towards Peter’s nursery.

“What is the point of being CEO if you can’t make your own schedule?” Tony pointed out as he entered the nursery. Pepper followed.

“Just sign the papers,” She said, a bit exasperated, holding the folders out to him. Tony looked at the papers and then back at Peter. Peter was staring at Tony, while palming the towel that engulfed him.

“Well I have to get my son ready for bed,” Tony said, pointing to the baby in his arms. Pepper put the papers down on the rocking chair and held out her arms. Pepper would also occasionally help with Peter. If Tony worked from home, he could expect a visit from Pepper. She certainly didn't like putting out the emotional fires Tony caused with Obadiah by not coming in, and escaping the office to drop something off was one way to deal with that.  Tony smirked but handed her the baby. Pepper smiled slightly. She always held quite a poker face with Tony, but when it came to Peter, Pepper always seemed to turn to mush. Tony couldn't blame her; his son was just that adorable.

“Hi Peter,” Pepper said. Peter gurgled a little and tried to grab for her strawberry blonde hair. Pepper simply kissed his hands and brought him over to the changing table.

“He sleeps in the air force onesie,” Tony said, as he began looking over the papers.

“I bet Rhodey loves that,” Pepper said with a hint of amusement. The both were silent, Pepper dressing Peter and Tony signing off on the paperwork. Peter was the only one making noise, but it was only babbling anyways. When Tony finished, he closed the folder and looked over at Pepper. It was kind of amazing to watch her with Peter. She might’ve treated Tony like he was annoying (it was why he kept her around, every other PA just kissed his ass, which he hated), but she adored his son. She had the biggest smile reserved only for him. She turned around, holding a now fully dressed Peter. Tony scooped his son out of her arms and handed her the folder.

“Well thank you for signing those Mr. Stark,” Pepper said. “And thank you letting me spend time with my favorite little boy.” She tickled Peter and he giggled. Tony just smiled. “Will I see you at the office tomorrow?”

“Unfortunately,” Tony said with a long sigh. Pepper rolled her eyes. She knew he loved his son, but he also had a company to run. “Mrs. Moscowitz will be here at 8:30.”

“So if you’re not at the office at 9:30,” Pepper said. “Then you should expect a very strongly worded phone call from me.” Tony smirked, but nodded. 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way Ms. Potts,” Tony said. “Say bye-bye to Pepper, Peter.” Peter looked at his dad and then at Pepper.

“Ba-ba,” Peter babbled, holding his hand out. Both Tony and Pepper stared at each other wide-eyed.

“Did he just?” Pepper asked. Tony looked down at his son, who was simply staring back at him.

“It could just be babbling,” Tony said. “All the parenting books say that babies just babble for a few months.” 

“Or he could’ve just said his first words,” Pepper said with a smile. “Either way, good job dad.” She gently touched his shoulder. It was crazy to her how different Tony was with Peter. Sure, he was still cocky and flirted with anyone in a skirt with long legs. But when he had Peter, he was mature and loving. It was a good change in Pepper’s opinion.

“Bye-bye Peter,” Pepper said, waving to the baby. She headed towards the door. When Peter didn’t say anything, she shrugged, assuming Tony was right, and left.

“Ba-ba,” Peter said and Tony chuckled.

“Sure kid,” Tony said. “Do it after she’s gone.” Peter giggled and Tony couldn’t help but smile. “I love you, bambino.” He kissed Peter’s head and sat down in the rocking chair, ready to rock his son to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	11. Ear Infection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony was exhausted. Peter, who was now nine months old, had been up all night crying. Well, crying wasn’t the right word. He had been wailing. Nothing Tony could do would calm the baby down. He just kept wailing and wailing. Tony was glad the walls were soundproof, or else anyone in a block vicinity would’ve complained about the sound.

Tony was exhausted. Peter, who was now nine months old, had been up all night crying. Well, crying wasn’t the right word. He had been wailing. Nothing Tony could do would calm the baby down. He just kept wailing and wailing. Tony was glad the walls were soundproof, or else anyone in a block vicinity would’ve complained about the sound.

Tony was supposed to go into the office that day. But every time he went to put Peter down to change, the baby just wailed louder. If Tony even tried to lower Peter down, Peter would grab onto his shirt and scream. So Tony was standing there, trying to calm his son, but unable to actually leave. Peter started tugging at his ear and continued to crying.

“That’s new,” Tony muttered. He sighed and kissed Peter’s head. “What’s wrong bambino?” Peter just tugged at his ear harder and continued to cry. “JARVIS?”

“It seems Peter has an ear infection,” JARVIS said. Tony sighed. No wonder his son was crying. Tony held Peter close, rocking back on his heels.

“It’s okay bambino,” Tony said, trying to soothe his son. “JARVIS, anything I can do about that?”

“Doctors only suggest antibiotics for children under the age of 2 if they have a fever,” JARVIS said.

“And does my son have a fever?” Tony asked.

“Negative,” JARVIS said. “Peter’s temperature is 98 degrees exactly.” Tony sighed, bouncing Peter in his arms. Just hearing his son in pain stressed him out. But he also knew if he didn’t call someone, then Pepper was going to have his head. He gently placed Peter down in his crib. Peter just screamed louder, reaching out for Tony. 

“Daddy will be right here Peter,” Tony said, as he pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed Pepper’s number. His free hand was on Peter’s crib and Peter was desperately grabbing on to Tony’s hand. 

“Where the hell are you?” Pepper hissed into the phone as soon as she answered. “You have a presentation in fifteen minutes and Obadiah has been screaming my ear off for the last thirty minutes.” Tony reminded himself to have a word with Obie about how he was allowed to treat his PA (certainly not yelling at her). Peter screamed again, pulling at Tony’s hand. “What was that?”

“Peter has an ear infection,” Tony said. “He’s been like this all night. I can’t go two feet without him freaking out.”

“Tony,” Pepper said, having a feeling where this was going.

“My kid’s gotta come first,” Tony said. “I’ll deal with Obie, alright.”

“You better,” Pepper said, before hanging up. Tony sighed, putting his phone away. Chalk another one up to why Pepper deserved a raise. He turned towards Peter, who was still desperately clawing at Tony’s arm.

“I’m sorry Peter,” He said scooping the baby up. Peter seemed to calm at that. “Yeah, daddy’s sorry for that.” Peter looked at him, big tears still on his face.

“Da,” Peter had spent the last three months referring to everything as ‘da’ or ‘ba’, so Tony was used to it. He wasn’t used to what happened next. “Dee. Da-dee.” Tony’s eyes widened.

“What was that kiddo?” He asked, wiping some of the tears away. His heart was beating a little faster. Did his son just say ‘daddy’? Peter reached up and touched Tony’s face.

“Da-dee,” He said again. Tony smiled and laughed. That seemed to make Peter giggle and he said it again. “Da-dee!”

“That’s right bambino,” Tony said, kissing Peter’s cheek. “That’s me, daddy.” He couldn’t help but keep smiling. Sure, he was stressed about his son having an ear infection and would certainly keep an eye on it. But the fact that he had spoken and that first word was ‘daddy’? Well that beat anything.

“You recorded that right, JARVIS?” Tony asked, a grin on his face.

“Yes sir.”

* * *

 

A few hours later, Tony was down in his workshop. He had moved one of the play pens he had for Peter down there, so he could keep an eye on him. Peter wasn’t crying as much anymore, but was still occasionally tugging at his ear or calling for Tony. And as much as Tony wanted to pick up his kid and comfort him, he knew Peter was okay and could handle staying in the play pen. Besides, every parenting book said that coddling a baby would leave to clinginess later on in life. Tony sighed as he continued to work. He might’ve skipped out on going to the office, but that didn’t mean he would skip out on working.

“Sir, Ms. Potts is here,” JARVIS called. Tony sighed and continued working.

“Send her down Jar,” Tony said. He continued working, waiting for the inevitable arrival of his PA. He heard the familiar click of heels as Pepper made her way down to the workshop.

“Why is Peter in here?” She asked, entering the workshop. “That can’t be safe.” Tony put his tools down at glanced at his son before turning to Pepper.

“Well he screams any time I go more than five feet from him,” Tony pointed out. “And I had work to do.”

“Speaking of,” Pepper said. “Obadiah gave me quiet an earful about you missing today’s presentation.” Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Obie needs to understand my son comes first,” Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest. Obadiah acted like Peter didn’t exist and that pissed Tony off. Company and inventions be damned; Peter was the most precious thing to him.

“I know,” Pepper said, gently. “But you hired a nanny for a reason. Maybe you need to let her do her job.” Tony huffed and got up. He walked over to where Peter was. Peter held his arms up and Tony picked his son up.

“Da-dee,” Peter said. Pepper mouth dropped open in shock. She then cooed at what Peter had said.

“If I had gone to work today,” Tony said. “I would’ve missed out on that. Look maybe when’s a little older,” He absent-mindedly bushed some of Peter’s hair, but stopped when he felt his forehead. It definitely felt warm.

“What?” Pepper asked, noticing a look of concern cross Tony’s face.

“JARVIS what’s Peter’s temperature?” Tony asked, running his hand along his son’s forehead.

“101.3 degrees, sir.” Tony’s eyes widened. He looked around, a bit wildly. He needed to take his son to a doctor. Pepper could see his stress.

“Relax, okay?” Pepper said. “I’ll call Happy. You get Peter’s car seat and your wallet, okay?” Tony nodded. “He’ll be okay, just breathe.” Tony nodded and quickly headed up the stairs. He began grabbing what he needed. Wallet, shoes for him, shoes for Peter, car seat. By the time Pepper got upstairs, Happy was outside. Tony’s hands shook as he tried to get Peter into the car seat. Peter looked up at Tony, a little bleary eyed. He didn’t seem to understand what was going on, but he wasn’t crying which was more concerning for Tony.

Pepper could see his shaking hands and walked over. She stepped in and gently secured Peter in the car seat. It was clear something was wrong when Peter didn’t try to grab at her ponytail. She fought back the sad sound from her throat and just gently brushed some of Peter’s hair.

“Okay, he’s all set.” Tony picked up the car seat and quickly went outside. He didn’t say much to Happy, just got into the car and buckled it in. Pepper got into the front seat and directed Happy towards the pediatrician. Peter, who normally hated car rides, was silent. He just stared at Tony, somewhat open-mouthed. Tony felt his chest tighten and tried to calm himself down. It was just a fever, right? Peter whined a little and tugged at his ear.

“It’s okay buddy,” Tony said quietly, leaning down to kiss Peter’s head. “Please tell me we are almost there.” They pulled into the parking lot and the car stopped. Tony almost tumbled out of the car and quickly lifted the car seat out of the car. He then rushed inside, not really paying attention to anyone else. Certainly not noticing the flash of the camera as he walked quickly into the pediatrician’s office, carrying the car seat with Peter in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	12. Press Conference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Turn your damn TV,” Obie growled. “You really screwed up on this one. We could’ve taken care of this, but no, Tony Stark had to be righteous about it all.” There was a bite to Obie's voice that he hadn't heard in a long time. The call ended without another word. Tony quickly grabbed the remote and turned his TV on. Every channel seemed to be reporting about the same thing. 
> 
> Him.

The doctor, a very nice Chinese-American woman with long jet-black hair, prescribed an antibiotic to help with the ear infection. She said Peter would experience some discomfort for another day or so but then would be fine. The fever went down after a couple of hours, allowing Tony to finally relax. Peter was back to his normal, babbling, sweet self. Tony was sitting in the living room. He had food in front of him, a sandwich and chips on a plate, but didn’t have much of an appetite. Sure, Peter was alright, but the stress from his son being sick had done a lot to him. Peter was playing on the floor, babbling to himself. Occasionally, he would look at Tony and hold a toy out to him. Tony smiled a little at his. Tony was brought out of his thoughts by his phone ringing. He rolled his eyes, noting that it was Obie.

“Yes,” Tony said, answering the phone. He abandoned the idea of the sandwich. He could save it for later. 

“Turn your damn TV,” Obie growled. “You really screwed up on this one. We could’ve taken care of this, but no, Tony Stark had to be righteous about it all.” There was a bite to Obie's voice that he hadn't heard in a long time. The call ended without another word. Tony quickly grabbed the remote and turned his TV on. Every channel seemed to be reporting about the same thing. 

Him.

There was a picture of Tony carrying Peter in the car seat. The picture was clear, anyone could see Peter's face. He had been so focused on Peter, that he hadn’t noticed any paparazzi. He frowned. He should have been more careful. He should have looked around to see if anyone was watching him. The press was already looking for him to screw up. 

“Does billionaire, playboy Tony Stark have a secret love child?” Tony growled and changed the channel. 

“Fatherhood for the biggest player in the world?”

“Who is this child? And is Tony Stark the right person to take care of him?” Tony angrily turned the TV off. He was about to throw the remote across the room when he saw Peter watching him. The nine-month old stared at Tony with his big, brown eyes. He held another toy out and babbled at Tony. He sighed and put the remote down. He picked up his phone and immediately called Pepper.

“I saw,” Pepper said, as soon as she answered the phone. “What do you want to do about it?” Tony pursed his lips. He needed to fix this. He couldn't have the media reporting about his son. To him, that was just unacceptable. There was only one thing to do.

“Call a press conference.”

* * *

The next day, Tony stood outside the conference room of Stark Industries. He was wearing a crisp gray suit a black button-down shirt. He was cleaning his sunglasses with a handkerchief when Obadiah approached him.

“You sure you want to do this?” Obie asked him. Tony put the handkerchief in his pocket and put the sunglasses on. He refused to make eye contact with Obie. The man didn't have a right to ask him that.

“Where’s Ms. Potts?” he asked, ignoring Obie’s question. 

“Tony,” Obie said, but Tony stopped him. He finally looked at Obie, fixing a glare at the older man. He was already frustrated. The press had been reporting non-stop about the picture, each outlet trying to get to the bottom of it. He couldn't turn the TV on or open a newspaper without that damn picture showing up. He didn't need Obadiah's bullshit at that current moment.

“You barely acknowledge my son’s existence,” Tony said. “You act like he isn't worth the time, but he is to me. So until you understand that my son comes first, you get no say on this matter.” He then walked away from Obie to where Pepper was. She turned towards him, noticing the angry look on his face. She gave him a look and he breathed out a huff of frustration. Pepper looked around him to see Obadiah entering the conference room. 

“Everything alright?” She asked. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that was cascading down her back. She was wearing a navy blue blazer and matching skirt, her black heels planted firmly on the floor.

“It will be,” Tony said. Pepper nodded, a tight-lipped smile on her face.

“Just stick to what we discussed,” Pepper said. “Offer limited information and don’t get angry.” Tony gave her a look. “You get very defensive about Peter, just answer a few questions and then end it.” Tony nodded and then they entered the conference room. Reporters were already shouting questions and clicking photos. Tony reached the podium and put his hand up, silencing the crowd. 

“All this for me?” He asked, and the reporters in the room chuckled. He smiled confidently. “Right, let’s get down to business. We’ve called this press conference to address some reports on many of your news outlets. So let me start by saying yes, I do have a son.” Reporters starting shouting questions. A small blonde reporter caught his attention. 

“Mr. Stark, what is your son’s name?” She asked. Tony smiled a little.

“His name is Peter and he’s nine months old,” Tony said. The reporter nodded.

“And the boy’s mother?” She asked.

“Not in the picture,” Tony said. “For her privacy, I will not include any names or details.” The reporter nodded and sat down. Another reporter, a skinny black man, raised his hand. Tony nodded to him.

“Why keep him a secret, Mr. Stark?” The reporter asked.

“My son is a baby,” Tony said. “He is not old enough to be exposed to the media and I certainly don’t want to be worried about the press trying to snap pictures of him.”

“Are you ashamed of your son?” Another reporter, a pale man with a receding hairline, called out. “Why hide him and only call a press conference when someone catches a picture of him?” Tony sucked in an angry breath. He glanced at Pepper who gave him a look, as if warning him to keep his cool.

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Tony said. “I love my son. For anyone to insinuate anything less, is a cold, heartless human being.” The reporter who asked the question seemed to sink down in their seat. “And the only reason pictures were taken without my knowledge was because I was focused on taking my son to the doctor to treat an ear infection.” 

“Is your son okay now?” The small, blonde reporter asked. Tony relaxed a little at her question. 

“Yes thank you for asking,” Tony said. “Now, on the subject of my son, I ask the press to please respect my privacy when it comes to my son. And if any news outlet tries to report on my son, I can guarantee that your outlet will have a hard time reporting on much of anything else.” He glared down the third reporter who had spoken. “Any other questions?” Reporters started shouting, but Tony shook his head. “Perfect. Thank you for coming.” He then walked off the stage and out of the conference room. Pepper followed after him.

“Good,” Pepper said. “Although, threatening to shut a news affiliate down might be problematic.”

“He had it coming,” Tony growled. “Make sure that reporter is never invited to a press conference again. Just him, not the outlet he works for, just him.” He headed towards the parking lot. “Now if you excuse me, I’m going to see my son.” Pepper smirked as Tony got into his car and drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on who THAT blonde reporter is? :D
> 
> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	13. Peter's First Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony looked around the house, a small smile on his face. Today, was Peter’s first birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be ready for some FLUFF.

Tony looked around the house, a small smile on his face. Today, was Peter’s first birthday. He smiled at the decorations that had been put up. He knew Peter wouldn’t actually care about it, but he did. It was his son’s first birthday. Speaking of his son, Mrs. Moscowitz was walking in holding Peter. Tony smiled at walked over to them.

“Thank you for helping out this morning,” Tony said, scooping Peter out of her arms. She smiled politely. She was an older woman, no more than sixty. She dressed like the sixties had never ended for her, which Tony found fascinating. She worked part-time as a librarian and was always bringing books for both Peter and Tony. She wasn’t too judgmental, but then again, Tony was paying her full-time, even though she only worked part-time.

“Of course,” She said. “I left a little present for Peter with everything else. Will you need me tomorrow, Mr. Stark?” Tony nodded. “Wonderful, I’ll see you then.” She tickled Peter, eliciting a giggle from the baby and then left.

“Da-dee,” Peter said, reaching up to grab at Tony’s facial hair. Tony pressed a kiss into Peter’s cheek. Peter laughed again.

“Well isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen,” Tony turned to see Rhodey walking in. 

“oh-dee!” Peter shouted. Rhodey chuckled and took Peter out of Tony’s arms. Peter had been speaking a lot more the last few months. R’s were hard for him, but he had picked up how to say part of Rhodey’s name, which obviously Rhodey loved.

“Music to my ears,” Rhodey said with a smile. He looked around the room. “You certainly went all out, didn’t you?” Tony chuckled.

“It’s my son’s first birthday,” Tony said. “Can you blame me?” Rhodey laughed but shook his head.

“Nah,” Rhodey said. “I bought him like six more air force onesies.” Tony rolled his eyes but smirked.

“You’re too much Platypus,” Tony said and Rhodey shrugged.

“So who’s coming?” Rhodey asked. Tony kept a small group of people around him normally, as he was slow to trust. He couldn’t imagine that was much different now with Peter. He had seen the press conference. He also thought that Tony was right in threatening the reporter who had made such egregious comments about Tony and Peter. “May and Ben coming?” Tony shook his head. 

“Couldn’t get off work,” Tony said. Rhodey shrugged. Tony felt bad that May was missing Peter’s birthday, but he could’ve done without Ben being there. 

“Probably not the worst thing,” Rhodey said, before carrying Peter off towards the living room. Tony was about to follow him, but his phone rang. He noticed the number was restricted. 

“Who is this and why do you have this number?” He asked. He heard a light laugh that he hadn’t heard in a year. His mouth dropped open in shock and he brought his voice down to a whisper. “Mary?”

“Hi Tony,” Mary’s light voice came through. “I don’t have much time, but I just wanted to call you today.” Tony smiled a little and glanced over at Peter who was playing on the floor while Rhodey watched over him.

“It’s Peter’s birthday,” Tony said. 

“I know,” Mary said. “I just wanted to say hello and thank you for including May and Ben. You’re a good man Tony Stark. I’m so glad Peter has you.” And then, just like everything with Mary, the call was over before it even started. That was Mary, a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He closed the phone and walked over to Peter, a smile on his face.

* * *

Sometime later, Peter was in a high chair. He was babbling excitedly, banging his hands on the table of the high chair. Tony stood across from him a huge smile on his face. Pepper walked into the room. Instead of wearing her normal work clothes of a well-pressed skirt and blazer, she was simply wearing jeans and a red blouse.

“This is going to be messy,” Pepper said. Rhodey was grabbing the cake that had been bought for Peter’s birthday. Tony was making sure that JARVIS was recording everything.

“Pep!” Peter shouted, reaching out for the woman. Pepper put her hand over her heart and smiled. Peter had done that once or twice, but Pepper loved it every time he did. Pepper walked over and placed a kiss on Peter’s head.

“That’s my son,” Tony said with a smirk. “A real charmer.” Pepper rolled her eyes and walked back over to Tony, smacking him on the shoulder. “What?” Rhodey walked in with the cake. 

“Alright, here we go,” Rhodey said.

“JARVIS start recording,” Tony said. The three of them sang to Peter, who just clapped happily. Rhodey put the small cake in front of him. Peter looked at the three adults, a confused look on his face.

“Da-dee?” Peter asked. Tony smiled, never getting tired of hearing his kid call him that.

“Go ahead buddy,” Tony said. Peter grabbed a handful of the cake. Tony chuckled, which gave him the encouragement he needed. Peter began mashing his hands into the cake, a joyful giggle coming out of his mouth. Tony dodged to the side as some cake came flying at him. Peter held his cake-covered hands out at Tony. Tony didn’t move, not really wanting cake on him.

“Oh come on Tones,” Rhodey said, with a smirk. “Have a little fun.” Tony sighed and walked up to Peter. He crouched down and Peter’s cake covered hand reached out and smeared cake on Tony’s face. He heard a click and glanced over to see Pepper taking a picture. He just shook his head but smirked. He looked back at his son and swiped a bit of frosting and wiped it on Peter’s nose. Peter giggled copied Tony. Tony scooped Peter up, not caring anymore that his kid was getting cake all over him.

A lot had changed for him in the last two years. Two years ago, Tony was probably at a party, drinking his liver away, some scantily clad woman on his arm. He would’ve done anything dangerous and frivolous if it meant having a good time. He would throw money on expensive booze and parties, just to ensure that he was surrounded by parties.

Now? Sure, Tony didn’t mind the occasional drink, but he always had that drink outside of his house. He was probably still a mess, but it wasn’t as bad as before. And all of that was because of Peter. His beautiful, wonderful son. 

“Alright Pete,” Tony said, bouncing his son up and down. “Time to get you cleaned up. You two mind cleaning this up?” Pepper just smiled. Seeing Tony, playing with his son and covered with cake, was oddly the sweetest thing she had ever seen. 

“Sure.” Pepper said. Tony nodded and carried Peter off to the bathroom. He placed his son on the ground as he turned the water on and waited for it to warm up. Peter stared at him and placed his hand on the tub. Tony watched quietly as Peter used the tub to stand himself up. He had been doing that a lot lately, but usually he just tumbled back down. But Peter held himself up, staring at Tony.

“Dadee,” Peter said, moving towards Tony. Tony watched wordlessly as Peter took a shaky step towards him. He wobbled but held himself up.

“Come on bambino,” Tony said, holding his arms out. “Come to daddy.”

“Dadee,” Peter said, taking another wobbly step. Then he took another, then another. Peter slowly made his way to Tony. Finally, Peter reached him, tumbling into Tony’s arm. “Dadee!”

“Good job bambino,” Tony said, kissing Peter’s head. “I love you, bambino.”

“Wuv you,” Peter said. Tony felt his eyes prick with tears. “Wuv you dadee.” Tony covered Peter’s face with kisses. Peter just giggled.

“Alright bambino,” Tony said. “Time for your bath.” Tony removed the baby’s clothes and placed him in the tub. He watched his son, a few happy tears slipping down his face.

God, he loved his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	14. Trip to New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You gotta sleep buddy,” Tony said. “We have long flight tomorrow.”

Tony sat in his workshop, tinkering on a new project. He had been working on it for the last few hours, with no good results. He glanced up at the clock, to see that it was close to two in the morning.

“Sir,” JARVIS’s voice called. “It seems Peter is trying to get down to the workshop. Tony looked over at the glass door’s. Peter was about halfway down the stairs. He was holding the lower part of the metal handrail with one hand, and a stuffed platypus in the other. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth, showing his focus. Tony got up and quickly exited the lab. He was up the stairs to where his son was faster than Peter could move. 

“Daddy,” The two-year-old whined. Tony scooped him up and carried him up the stairs.

“And where do you think you’re going?” He asked jokingly, poking Peter’s side. Peter frowned and pouted at him. “What’s wrong bambino?” Peter pointed to his ear.

“Huts,” He whined. Peter still was struggling with his r’s, so hurt wasn’t easy for him to say.

“Your ear hurts buddy?” Tony asked, placing his son on the counter. Peter nodded and pouted at his dad. Tony opened the fridge and took out a juice box. He put the straw in and then handed it to Peter. Peter grabbed it with box hands and began to sip from it. Tony looked at Peter. It had been almost a year since his son’s first ear infection, but the two-year-old was showing all the signs. 

“JARVIS,” Tony called and Peter instinctively looked up at the ceiling. He didn’t fully grasp the idea of what an AI was (because, you know, he was two), but he did understand that there was a voice in the ceiling that was very helpful. “Does Peter have a fever?”

“No,” JARVIS said. “But he does seem to be showing the first signs of an ear infection.” Tony nodded as Peter finished the juice box. Tony took the empty juice box and put it in the trash. He picked Peter up.

“Right thanks Jar,” Tony said.

“Tank you Ja,” Peter said. Tony chuckled and kissed the top of Peter’s head.

“You’re very welcome young sir,” Tony smiled. Once Peter had been born, he had programmed JARVIS to refer to Peter by name, but also occasionally refer to him as ‘young sir’. The original Jarvis, his family’s butler, had called him that when he was a kid and he felt it was only right to keep up the tradition. “Alright bambino, let’s try and get some sleep.”

“No,” Peter pouted, shaking his head. “No wanna.” Tony sighed. He had a conference to go to in the morning and he hadn’t finished packing, both his stuff and Peter’s. The conference was in New York, so Tony was bringing Peter. Normally, he probably would’ve had Mrs. Moscowitz stay with Peter. But because of the location, he had talked with May about Peter staying with her and Ben while Tony was at the conference. And she of course agreed.

“You gotta sleep buddy,” Tony said. “We have long flight tomorrow.” Peter shook his head. Tony sighed. “How about you come hang out with daddy while I pack?” Peter nodded. He headed down the hallway to his room. He put Peter down on the bed. Peter looked tiny compared to the king-sized bed. Every time he took Peter to the doctor, he brought up his son’s small stature. The doctor assured Tony that nothing was wrong, but that Peter would probably just be in the lower percentiles when it came to height and weight. Peter sat on the bed playing with his stuffed animal. Tony grabbed a travel bag from the closet and began putting clothes in it.

“Daddy,” Peter said. Tony who was carefully packing a suit, glanced at his son. “Wa go?” He pointed to the suitcase.

“Well,” Tony started, finishing putting the suit in the bag. “Daddy has to go convince a lot of people to buy the things that daddy’s company makes.”

“Is Odey gonna?” Peter asked. Tony shook his head and Peter pouted. “Pep?” Tony nodded and the two-year-old smiled.

“Yes Ms. Potts will be there,” Tony said. “And while daddy works, you will get to spend time with your Aunt May and Uncle Ben.” Peter nodded. Peter looked down at the stuffed animal in his hand. He grew quiet and Tony just assumed the kid was tired. He went back to packing. When he was done, he picked up Peter. “Time to pack your stuff, bambino.” Peter stayed quiet. Tony carried him down to his room. The nursery had changed a lot in the last year. The changing table and crib were both gone, having been replaced with a toddler-sized bed (with airplanes on the covers, because of course Rhodey picked the covers out) and small wardrobe. Tony put Peter down on the bed. He grabbed a small suitcase that he had bought for Peter and started filling it with clothes.

“Any books you want to bring buddy?” Tony asked. “Maybe the new one Mrs. Moscowitz bought you?” Peter didn’t say anything and Tony turned towards. Peter was hardly ever quiet. The kid always was talking, even if it didn’t always make sense. “What’s wrong bambino?” Peter looked up at Tony, a small pout on his face. 

“Wa my mommy?” He asked. Tony sighed. He sat down on the floor and Peter got off the bed and crawled into Tony’s lap.

“Oh bambino,” Tony said. He figured eventually Peter would ask about Mary. He certainly didn’t expect it to be at two, but he was his son. He had to hope his kid was as smart or smarter than him. He kissed the top of Peter’s head and Peter snuggled closer to Tony’s chest. “You know I love you, right bambino?” Peter nodded. “Well your mommy knew that too. So even though she isn’t here to take care of you, she knows you have me.” Peter nodded. Tony pressed a kiss into his son’s head and held him tightly, rocking him slowly. He knew the fact that Mary wasn’t around was tough. When Peter was older, he was sure Peter would understand better. But for now, he just needed his son to understand that he loved him.

He looked down and saw that Peter had drifted off to sleep. He smiled sadly and stood up slowly, making sure he didn’t wake his sleeping son. He walked to one side of the bed and used one hand to pull the covers back. He placed Peter down and tucked him in. 

“Night Peter,” He said quietly, pressing a gentle kiss into his forehead. He walked to the door and watched his son for a few more minutes. When he was sure that he was asleep, he turned off the light and headed down to his room. Perhaps he could get some sleep before the flight in a few hours.

* * *

The flight to New York went off mostly without a hitch. It was Peter’s first time on a plane. With it being a private jet, he could basically squish himself into a seat with Tony. He cried a little when the plane took off, mostly because the pressure bothered his ears, but Tony just held him closely, promising him that it would be over soon. After the initial shock, the rest of the flight was fine. Peter sat in Tony’s lap the whole time, while Pepper briefed Tony on the conference. The only other person on the flight was Happy. Tony wouldn’t let Obadiah fly with them as he didn’t like having Obadiah around when Peter was there. Obie had tried to protest, but since it was his jet, he made the rules.

“Tony,” Pepper said, getting Tony’s attention. “When we land are you heading straight to the hotel?” Tony shook his head.

“Queens first,” Tony said. He looked down at Peter. “We have to drop this little guy off.” Peter pouted at him.

“I stay wiff you,” Peter said, squeezing his little arms around Tony’s midsection and hugging him tightly. Tony looked up at Pepper who mouthed no at him.

“I’m sorry buddy,” Tony said. “But daddy has to work.” Peter whined into his side. “Besides, you get to spend time with your aunt and uncle.” Peter whined again. “You love spending time with May and Ben.”

“But I stay wiff you,” He looked up at Tony, a big pout on his face. Tony pressed a big kiss into his cheek, but Peter kept pouting. Tony kept kissing his face until Peter finally let out a giggle. Pepper watched the interaction with an amused look on his face.

“Pep,” Peter whined. “Tell daddy I stay wiff him.” He looked at Pepper and pouted. Tony chuckled, knowing that Pepper certainly would say no.

“Sorry Peter,” Pepper said. “But your dad has a lot of important work to do.” Peter pouted, not happy with that response.

“ 'appy!” Peter shouted, looking at the other person nearby.

“Nope,” Happy said. “Not going to happen.” Tony pulled his kid closer to him. 

“Sorry Peter,” Tony said. “But that’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to have to stay with your aunt and uncle. But just for the day. I’ll be back in time to tuck you in, okay?” Peter whined a little but nodded. Tony sighed internally. He blamed the possible ear infection on Peter’s clinginess. Peter hugged him closely for the rest of the flight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	15. A Day in New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After they landed, Happy drove them to May and Ben’s apartment. Tony carried Peter and his little bag up the stairs. Peter had a slight pout on his face. It had been there since he landed. He was very unhappy with having to spend the day away from Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared from some anxious dad Tony and FLUFF.

After they landed, Happy drove them to May and Ben’s apartment. Tony carried Peter and his little bag up the stairs. Peter had a slight pout on his face. It had been there since he landed. He was very unhappy with having to spend the day away from Tony. Pepper and Happy were waiting down in the car. When they reached the door, Tony knocked. May swung the door open, a big smile on her face.

 “There’s my nephew!” She said. Even though Peter wasn’t too happy about being away from his dad, he smiled when he saw May. “Come in you two.” They walked in and Tony gently put the bag down on a table. 

“Say hi to your aunt Peter,” Tony said, poking Peter’s stomach. Peter looked at May and waved. She smiled. Tony leaned down, putting Peter down. Peter let out a little whine rubbed at his ear. “Go play buddy, okay?” Peter nodded, dragging the bag with him across the room. May turned towards Tony, concern on her face. 

“Is he okay?” She asked. “He seems upset.” Tony sighed.

“Well he has the beginnings of an ear infection,” Tony said. “He had one a little more than a year ago. Last I checked, he didn’t have a fever. If he does spike a fever, just let me know and I can send someone to bring you guys to the doctor.” May nodded, glancing over at Peter. The toddler was playing with a stuffed animal, with a frown on his face.

“Does he get clingy when he doesn’t feel well?” She asked and Tony nodded. May sighed a little. “I’ve seen that a lot with children at the hospital.”

“Thank you again for keeping an eye on him,” Tony said. “I should get going.” He walked over to Peter and squatted down. Peter looked up at him, a frown on his face. “I’ve gotta go buddy, but I’ll be back later okay.” Peter pushed himself up and hugged him tightly. Tony sighed and kissed him on the head.

“Bye daddy,” Peter said sadly. Peter then sat back down and went back to playing with his toys. Tony got up.

“We’ll see you later,” May said. “And good luck!” Tony nodded and exited the apartment. He headed down to the car, a sad feeling in his stomach. He didn’t want his son to feel like he was putting anything before him. His father had always done that and it hurt him more than he could admit. He sighed, hoping that this wouldn’t hurt Peter too much.

* * *

Tony did his best all day to focus on work. He liked to believe that he did his best to focus on what he was selling. Pepper didn’t have much to say, other than a few judgmental glances. His mind was on his son. May hadn’t reached out to him, so at least he knew that Peter didn’t have a fever. He did his best to keep his confidence up and not act like he was worried about his son. 

“You’re doing great,” Pepper whispered to him as they stood at the Stark Industries table. Tony gave him a look. “I know you’d rather be with Peter right now, but you’re doing a great job.” 

“Well thank you Ms. Potts,” Tony said. “But as soon as this is over, I’m going to get my son.” Pepper smirked.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

* * *

As soon as the day was over, Tony headed straight to the car. Pepper quickly followed him, doing her best to keep up in her heels. Tony huffed a little as they drove from Manhattan to Queens, annoyed with the traffic. Happy just rolled his eyes as Tony grumbled under his breath. Finally, they reached the apartment building in Queens. Tony took the stairs two at a time and was at the apartment door in no time. He knocked and bit back a groan when Ben opened the door.

“Stark,” Ben said, stepping aside to let Tony in.

“Good to see your chipper self, Mr. Parker,” Tony said sarcastically, striding in to the apartment, his hands in his suit pockets. Ben was about to retort when Peter came running into the room, May right behind him.

“Daddy!” Tony squatted down as Peter threw himself at him. His tiny arms wrapped around his neck. Tony hugged his son tightly, a weight lifting off his chest. He stood up, still holding Peter closely.

“No fever,” May said, walking over to Ben and wrapping her hand around his arm. Ben just stared narrowly at Tony. “And we had a really fun day, didn’t we Peter?” Peter looked at May and nodded, a smile on his face. Tony was relieved that Peter wasn’t moping the whole day.

“Alright buddy say bye to your aunt and uncle,” Tony said. Peter reached out for May who smiled and took him from Tony’s arms. She hugged him and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you for a fun day sweetie,” May said. Peter smiled and wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, giving her a hug. Ben ruffled Peter’s hair, earning a smile from Peter as well. May handed Peter back to Tony. 

“Bye Pete,” Ben said with a small smile just for the boy.

“Thanks again,” Tony said, grabbing Peter’s bag. May waved and Ben’s smile slipped as his eyes went back to Tony. Tony gave Ben his most confident, cocky smile, before leaving the apartment. “So did you have a good day, bambino?” Tony asked as they headed down to the car.

“Mhmm,” Peter said. “But I missed you Daddy.” They reached the car and Tony buckled Peter in before getting in the back as well. “Pep!”

“Hi Peter,” Pepper said with a soft smile. “Did you have a good time?” Peter nodded and nuzzled closer to Tony’s side. Tony kissed his forehead. Peter leaned his head against Tony’s arm. Tony looked down at him. Peter’s eyes were slowly lolling shut. Tony smiled and kissed the top of his head. By the time they reached the hotel, Peter was fast asleep. Tony carried his son through the lobby and up to their room. The hotel suite he had booked had one bed in the master. Tony knew he should’ve had Peter sleeping in a different bed, but Peter was already fast asleep. He put Peter on the bed, just removing his shoes. He then pulled the covers back and tucked Peter in. He quickly changed out of his suit into something he could sleep in.

He sat down on the bed, glancing over at his sleeping son. He had felt so guilty being away from Peter all day, especially when Peter was begging to stay with him. He wondered just how Howard could’ve ignored him so much in his life. What about his father made him not want to be a father? Tony was glad that he hadn’t inherited that. He loved his son and wanted to make sure he was happy.

“Daddy,” Peter’s eyes opened sleepily. His big doe eyes stared up at Tony.

“Yes bambino?” Peter smiled.

“Love you,” Peter said, snuggling into Tony’s side. Tony smiled, his heart filling with love. He kissed the top of Peter’s head as Peter’s eyes began to slide shut.

“Love you too, bambino.” Tony sighed, glad to just have a moment with his son after a stressful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	16. The News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Chew buddy,” Tony said. “We have to get you to your first day of pre-school.”

“Alright bambino, eat up.” Tony placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Peter.

“Daddy I wanted pancakes,” Peter pouted. The three-year-old was very boisterous about what he wanted. Tony chuckled and pushed the bowl closer. Peter whined a little.

“Nice try bambino,” Tony said. “Pancakes are for Sundays.” Peter frowned but began eating anyways. Tony heard the door open.

“Where’s my favorite nephew?” Tony chuckled as Rhodey entered the room.

“Uncle Rhodey!” Peter shouted, dropping the spoon. Rhodey came over and gave Peter a big hug. Peter hugged him back a hug smile on his face.

“Eat buddy,” Tony said. Peter stuck his tongue out at Tony, but kept eating. He sipped on his coffee and turned to Rhodey.

“So what are you doing here?"

“Not happy to see me Tones?” Rhodey questioned and Tony rolled his eyes. “And I wanted to see my favorite nephew.”

“I’m your only nephew Uncle Rhodey,” Peter said with a mouthful of oatmeal. Tony chuckled and shook his head.

“Chew buddy,” Tony said. “We have to get you to your first day of pre-school.” Tony was a little stressed out about Peter going to preschool. But Mrs. Moscowitz had retired from being a nanny (even though she said she adored Peter). After her last day, she had taken off on a trip to Europe, which Tony had funded, obviously. But with Peter getting closer and closer to school age, Tony knew that he needed Peter to be on a schedule like a school-day. Preschool meant that Peter was somewhere safe that would get him on that schedule. It also meant Tony could pick him up whenever, be it noon, three o’clock, or (god forbid) five o’clock. Also, the preschool was a five-minute drive from the office. It was a good enough solution. And, Pepper told Tony he couldn’t bring Peter to the office more than once a month, which was giving at most for his PA. Once Peter finished, he got up and skipped towards the door. Tony chuckled and picked up his backpack. Peter seemed to be excited, but Tony wondered if that had to do with meeting other children. Peter hadn’t really met many kids his age, mostly because Tony was worried about people using his son to get to him. He was still nervous that might happen, but his son was excited.

“Care to join us?” Tony asked, looking towards Rhodey. Peter jumped up and down in excitement.

“Come with Uncle Rhodey!” Peter said. Rhodey said and squatted down to Peter’s height. 

"I wish I could buddy,” Rhodey said. “But I have some work to do. But I’ll come by later to hear all about your first day of preschool.” Peter pouted, but nodded.

“Okay,” Peter said. Peter then rushed out to the car, where Happy was waiting. Tony stood at the doorway, watching Happy trying to buckle his kid into the car seat in the back.

“So are you going to tell me why you’re really here?” Tony asked. Rhodey pursed his lips.

“I’ll stop by your office later,” Rhodey said. Rhodey patted him on the shoulder and then headed to his car and drove off. Tony sighed, not liking the tone in Rhodey’s voice. He then walked over and got into the car.

“Ready buddy?” Tony asked and Peter nodded excitedly. “Alright, let’s go Happy.” He smiled as Peter talked excitedly about preschool. But there was a growing knot in his stomach, regarding why Rhodey was there. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel like it was good.

* * *

Tony sat in his office a few hours later. Dropping Peter off at preschool had been surprisingly easy. His son was excited to be there and immediately started playing with a group of kids. It took Tony a few minutes to leave, but the teacher kept reassuring him that Peter would be fine. Tony had to fight every urge in him to pick his son up. Perhaps, luckily for establishing a schedule, Rhodey was stopping by any minute. There was a knock at the door and Pepper walked in.

“Colonel Rhodes is here to see you Mr. Stark,” Tony smirked and nodded. Pepper walked out as Rhodey walked in.

“Hey Tones,” Rhodey said, sitting down at chair in front of Tony’s desk.

“So I’m assuming you’re out here for a particular reason,” Tony said, getting right down to business. “Is this about Stark Industries or something else?” Rhodey sighed.

“Something else,” Rhodey sat up a little straighter and fixed his jacket. “This isn’t public knowledge yet, it’s just something I was privy to because of my place in the Air Force. Listen, I have, since Peter was born, tried to keep tabs on Mary Parker. The CIA is a dangerous business and she’s Peter mom so I thought it was right.”

“Rhodey,” Tony said slowly. He really didn’t like where this was going.

“Mary and Richard were on a mission in Europe,” Rhodey said. “Their plane went down the other day. There were no survivors.” Tony sucked in a breath. Tony hadn’t heard from Mary since Peter’s first birthday. Even so, she was Peter’s mother. Knowing that she was gone, it was a sad thing to hear.

“Has someone told May and Ben?” Rhodey nodded. “I’ll have to tell Peter. I know she wasn’t around, but she was still his mother. Her only wish was that Peter knew that.” Rhodey nodded. “Should I pick him up? Or just let him stay there for a few more hours?” Rhodey smiled a little sadly.

“One thing I’ve learned over the last couple of years,” Rhodey said, standing up. “You always do the right thing when Peter’s involved.” Tony smiled a little. “I’ll stop by your place later to see my nephew.” Then Rhodey left the office. After he was gone, Pepper walked in, placing a plate with a sandwich on his desk.

“What did Rhodey want?” Pepper asked. Tony leaned back in his chair and sighed.

“Mary’s gone,” Tony said. Pepper gasped a little, a sad frown developing on her face. “She and Richard were on an assignment and their plane went down.”

“Oh Tony,” Pepper said sadly. “Are you going to tell Peter?” Tony nodded.

“He deserves to know,” Tony said. “He’s asked me about his mom before. When he was two, he asked me why he didn’t have a mom. He needs to know her. He deserves to.” Pepper nodded, a little sadly. “When’s my next meeting?”

“1:30,” Pepper said. Tony nodded. He wanted to run to his son and hug him and never let go. But he couldn’t do that. At least not right now.

“Great,” Tony said. “Clear my schedule after that so I can pick up Peter.” Pepper nodded. He cleared his throat. “That will be all Ms. Potts.”

“Of course Mr. Stark,” Pepper said. She then turned and left the office. Tony sighed and stared at the sandwich, not actually wanting to eat. He knew telling his son that his mother was gone was going to be hard. But it was the right thing to do.

* * *

Tony sighed as he watched Peter eat dinner later that evening. The three-year-old excitedly was telling Tony and Rhodey about his day. It was clear that Peter had a great first day. Tony almost felt bad for having to tell him what Rhodey had told him. Rhodey glanced at him, as if acknowledging him to speak up.

“Daddy,” Tony glanced over at Peter. He couldn’t help but chuckle seeing pasta sauce all over Peter’s mouth. “What’s wrong?” Tony walked over and wiped the sauce of Peter’s face and kissed his head. Peter giggled. Tony picked up the plate and put it in the sink.

“Come to the living room buddy.” Peter scurried over the living room and hopped up on the couch. Tony walked over and sat down. Peter scooted closer to Tony and climbed into his lap. Rhodey had taken a seat in one of the chairs in the living room. “There’s something I have to tell you Peter,” Tony said, a sad look on his face. “It has to do with your mom.” Peter frowned. Peter had only asked about his mother once, but he still needed to know about Mary and what happened to her.

“What about my mommy?” Peter asked, looking up at Tony. Tony ruffled Peter’s curly hair and pressed a kiss into his forehead.

“Buddy, you know how we talked about how even though your mommy’s not here,” Tony started, with a small sigh. “She cares about you very much?” Peter nodded. “Well buddy, your mommy wasn’t here because of her job. And while she was working, she was in a plane that fell out of the sky. And buddy, I’m sorry, but your mom she’s gone.” Peter looked at him, a bit confused.

“What do you mean, daddy?” Peter asked. “Mommy hasn’t been here.” Tony sighed, a little sadly. “Peter, your mommy, she’s…she’s dead,” Tony said. “Do you know what that means?” Peter nodded. Tony looked at Rhodey, not sure what else to say. Rhodey nodded to Peter, who was staring at Tony still.

“Daddy,” Peter said. “Are you sad about mommy being gone?”

“Yeah buddy I am,” Tony said. “Because your mom gave me the greatest gift. She gave me you. So I’m sad that she’s gone.” Peter just snuggled closer to Tony.

“I love you, daddy,” Peter said. Tony held his son close. He was sure Peter didn’t really know how to feel. He was three years old after all. Death was not something his kid was supposed to know or have to deal with. It was even harder with it being the death of someone Peter didn’t know but should have known. “I love you too bambino,” Tony whispered, pressing a kiss into his son’s curls. Peter’s little hands played with Tony’s shirt.

“Daddy?” Peter looked up at him. “Aunt May told me that mommy’s favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz. Can we watch that?” Tony smiled a watery smile at his son. He glanced at Rhodey, who had a sad smile on his face as well.

“Yeah buddy,” Tony said. “I think that would be a great idea. JARVIS, play The Wizard of Oz.” Tony leaned back on the couch, Peter settling comfortably against his chest. Tony couldn’t help but play with Peter’s hair as they watched the film. He liked to think that this was Peter’s way of remembering his mother. He might not have known her, but it was clear that his son was trying. Rhodey got up quietly, nodding to Tony. Tony nodded back as Rhodey headed out of the house. He was glad that his friend had been there; it made a hard conversation a little easier. As the movie played, Tony continued running his hand through his son’s hair. About halfway through, he realized that Peter had fallen asleep.

“Turn the TV off Jar,” Tony said quietly. The AI turned the TV off and Tony stood slowly, slipping one hand under Peter’s legs to carry him, the other supporting his little back. He carried the three-year-old to his room.

“Daddy?” Peter’s voice was quiet and heavy with sleep. Tony stopped walking and looked down at his son. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Tony didn’t even hesitate to answer. He knew that allowing a toddler to sleep in a parent’s bed could create bad habits later on. But at that moment, he didn’t care.

“Of course bambino,” He walked across the hall towards him. He gently placed Peter down on the bed. Peter crawled under the blankets. Tony didn’t bother changing, just laid down on the bed next to his son. Peter grabbed Tony’s arm and used it to pull himself closer to his father. Tony chuckled as Peter pulled himself into Tony, resting his head on Tony’s chest. Peter’s eyes were slowly closing again.

“I love you, bambino,” Tony said, playing with his son’s hair. Peter’s eyes drifted shut and soon the three-year-old was asleep. Tony sighed and watched his son. Today had been tougher than expected. But he was glad that Mary had made the choice almost four years ago to ask Tony to be a dad. Looking down at his son, Tony knew it was the best decision he could have ever made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	17. Christmas (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony sighed loudly as Peter ran around the living room, talking excitedly. The four-year-old was going on and on about Christmas. Since his mother had passed away, Tony had given up on Christmas. But having a son changed all that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christmas FLUFF.

Tony sighed loudly as Peter ran around the living room, talking excitedly. The four-year-old was going on and on about Christmas. Since his mother had passed away, Tony had given up on Christmas. Maria Stark had loved Christmas. She would make sure the whole house was decorated for the holiday. She'd play Christmas carols on the piano, while Tony would watch. But after she died, Tony couldn't bear the thought of Christmas. He had hid away all the decorations and barely acknowledged the holiday. And if he did acknowledge it, it was just to attend a party, nothing else.

But having a son changed all that. Slowly, Tony had come back around to the idea of Christmas. Mostly, because watching his son tear into presents was wonderful and adorable at the same time.

This year however, things were a little different.

Hearing about what happened to Mary had been tough to process, but Tony knew that May and, yes his least favorite person, Ben, were struggling with it even more. Tony had decided that he needed to bring Peter out to New York to see May and Ben. But for months after the news, Tony had not been able to find the right time. Finally, a few months ago, Tony realized when the right time would be. 

Tony and Peter would spend Christmas in New York.

Peter was very excited about this. He had been telling all of the other children in his pre-k class that he was going to see snow for the first time. He was running around the living room, talking about the snow. His four-year-old son was almost making it out like the trip would be ruined if there wasn’t snow. Tony just had to pray there was snow on the ground when they got there. 

“Peter, bambino come on,” Tony said, trying to wrangle his excitable son.

“But daddy, snow!” Peter shouted. Tony chuckled and scooped up the four-year-old. Peter squirmed excitedly in his arms.

“We have to get to the plane first,” Tony said. “And we can’t do that if you keep running around the house.” Peter pouted but nodded. Tony walked over to the door, carrying his son. Happy was loading bags into the car. Tony was glad he had his own private jet; having to transport Christmas presents to New York, but in a stealthy way, would’ve been difficult. But, Peter was too excited to notice the bags. Tony opened the car door and buckled Peter into the car seat. He ruffled his sons’ hair and closed the door.

“All set?” He asked, turning to Happy.

“It’s a lot of stuff,” Happy said. Tony gave him a look. “Yeah, yeah. We’re all set.” Tony smirked and patted Happy on the shoulder. Happy then got into the car. Tony sighed, a small smile on his face. Then he got into the car as well. 

“Go Uncle Happy, go!” Peter shouted, kicking his feet. Tony laughed loudly as Happy grumbled and started driving. After a short drive, they reached the airport. Peter wriggled excitedly, until Tony unbuckled him from the car seat. Peter tugged at Tony’s arm, trying to pull him towards the plane. Tony picked him up to keep him from running off.

“What’s the rush bambino?” He asked and Peter huffed in adorable frustration.

“I want to go now daddy,” Peter whined. A second car pulled up and Pepper got out. “Pepper!” Pepper smiled and walked over to them. “Is this why we were waiting daddy?”

“Yes buddy,” Tony said. Peter wriggled his way out of Tony's arms and then ran over to Pepper and poked her leg. Pepper picked the four-year-old up. She pressed a kiss on his cheek and he giggled.

“Are you coming with us?” Peter asked. Pepper nodded. Peter shouted excitedly, trying to get back to the ground. Pepper put Peter down and he ran towards the plane. Tony chuckled as he watched Happy race after Peter. Tony looked over at Pepper. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She was wearing a navy blue blazer and matching skirt. Her black heels pressed together. She smiled politely at Tony.

“Does your son know you’re doing some business while we’re in New York?” Pepper asked and Tony shook his head. She sighed.

“He has been excitedly talking about snow and Christmas for weeks,” Tony said. “I think he’s going to be so excited that he’ll be okay with it.” Pepper shook her head. “Trust me.” He looked over at Peter, who was by the stairs of the jet. He was running around in a circle, Happy chasing after him. Tony chuckled and walked towards the jet, Pepper following him. “I hope this isn’t getting into any holiday plans for you Ms. Potts.” Pepper pursed her lips but shook her head. Tony didn’t believe her, but decided to press that issue at another time.

“Daddy!” Peter shouted, running into Tony’s legs. Tony picked him up. Happy stopped next to Pepper, clearly out of breath.

“Ready buddy?” Peter nodded. Tony smiled and headed up the stairs of the jet, Peter’s happy shouts following them all the way up.

* * *

Peter talked excitedly the whole way there. Tony just nodded, a grin on his face as his son spoke. He was happy that Peter was so excited. He also hoped that Peter could pass that happiness on to others. He had talked to May a few times since Mary passed and it was clear that it was a hard loss for her. Tony always could tell that May had adored her sister-in-law, which was why she loved Peter so much. He just hoped that spending the holidays with Peter would brighten her spirits. After the plane ride, Tony buckled Peter into the car and sat next to him in the back.

“Daddy,” Peter said. “Where’s the snow?” He looked out the windows, saddened at the gray skyline. Tony leaned over and ruffled his hair.

“It’s coming buddy,” Tony said. “I promise. But until then, we’re going to go see your aunt and uncle.” Peter smiled, kicking his little legs in excitement. Tony chuckled and typed on his phone, reading through something he had pulled up on the plane. He glanced up front at Pepper and Happy and simply smirked. When they finally reached Queens, Peter had a huge smile on his face. It warmed Tony’s heart a little to know that Peter recognized the borough. While Tony loved living in California, he wondered if one day he should move himself and Peter closer to New York. He shook that thought away as the car came to a stop. He unbuckled Peter and let the four-year-old drag him out of the car. Peter’s little hand tugged and tugged, pulling Tony towards the door and up the stairs. They reached the door and Peter used his free hand to attempt to knock on the door. When it didn’t make a noise, he pouted. Tony chuckled and scooped him up and used his free hand to knock on the door. 

“There he is!” May said, as she opened the door. 

“Aunt May!” Peter said, holding his hands out. Tony let May take his son and followed her into the apartment. Ben was sitting on the couch. He didn’t acknowledge Tony, which was fine by him. 

“I am so happy to see you,” May said. “And that we get to spend Christmas with you. Are you excited about that sweetie?” Peter nodded.

“Daddy said he made sure Santa knew that I was going to be here and not at home,” Peter said. “So that he’ll know where to bring my presents.” May smiled and glanced at Tony, who gave her a nod. Tony could tell having Peter around was already good for her.

“Well then we’re going to have to make some cookies for Santa then,” May said. “And we have just the ingredients for it.” She put Peter down and headed towards the kitchen. Peter ran over to Ben.

“Uncle Ben come on,” Peter said, tugging at his hand. Ben smiled and ruffled Peter’s hair, before getting up. He headed towards the kitchen and Peter ran over to Tony. “Come on daddy.” Tony squatted down.

“I’m going to let you three have all the fun okay?” Tony said, and Peter frowned a little. “Daddy has to do a little work, but I’ll be back later.” Peter nodded and hugged Tony. “Have fun buddy, okay?” Peter pulled away and Tony kissed his forehead.

“I’ll save you a cookie,” Peter said. Tony smiled and stood up. “Bye daddy.” He then went over to May and Ben. Tony sighed and headed out of the apartment, closing the door after him. A part of him hated leaving Peter to go work. His father had always done that. He could only hope that the difference was that he wanted spend time with Peter at the end of the day, while his dad, well Howard just hid in his office with a drink. Tony shook his head and headed down towards the car.

* * *

After hours of pitching Stark Industries and their weaponry to anyone willing to pay his price, Tony was more than glad to go pick up his son. Peter talked rapidly about his day. They had attempted to make cookies, but apparently May burned them, so Ben just went out and bought cookies. Peter said it was fine because they didn’t have chocolate chips and who wanted plain cookies? They went to the hotel so they could check in, because Tony hadn’t had a chance. As Peter ran around the suite, exploring every nook and cranny, Tony grabbed a few things from his bag and placed them in his blazer pocket.

“Any fun plans now?” Pepper asked. Tony smirked.

“Ever seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree?” He asked. Pepper smiled, a small smile, but a sweet one nonetheless. “I’m going to get Peter ready.” Tony wrangled his son, wrapping him up in a coat that matched his black pea coat, a red scarf that May had knitted for him, and a hat that matched.

“Daddy,” Peter whined. “Where are we going?” Tony picked Peter up after putting red mittens on him.

“We’re going to see some Christmas lights bambino,” Tony said. “But it’s outside, so you have to be bundled up.” Tony smiled at how adorable his son looked, even if Peter found all the layers annoying. He pouted and Tony pressed a kiss into his cheek until Peter let out a giggle. Pepper and Happy joined them and then they headed out, Peter looking up at the sky for snow. 

* * *

"Wow," Peter's eyes lit up as he saw the gigantic tree. There were thousands of people milling around, taking pictures and staring at the tree, so Tony held Peter close to him. "Daddy, that tree is huge!" Tony chuckled.

"I know buddy," Tony said. "I thought about getting one just like it for our house." Pepper, who was standing next to them, smirked. 

"But daddy!" Peter protested. "It wouldn't fit!" Tony shrugged and Peter giggled. "Can we take a picture with it daddy?" Tony smiled, loving how excited his son was. Tony glanced over at Pepper who held out her hand. Tony smiled appreciatively and handed her his phone. He walked a little way away, still holding Peter. He turned towards Pepper, who was already ready to take the picture.

"Say cheese buddy," Tony said, smiling.

"Cheese!" Peter shouted, a big grin on his face. Tony couldn't help but laugh and kiss Peter's forehead. Pepper kept snapping photos, whether or not Tony was aware of it. She knew some day he'd be thankful for them. He walked back over to Pepper who gave him back his phone. Peter was babbling on and on about snow and Santa and Christmas presents. Tony just smiled. It had been so long since he had enjoyed Christmas, but he was glad that his son loved it. He turned towards Pepper, who was staring absent-mindedly at the skating rink.  

"Ms. Potts," He said, getting her attention. She turned towards him. He hadn't consider what working on Christmas Eve meant. He had Peter with him and that was all he had considered. After talking with Pepper earlier, he realized he was keeping her away from her family. He handed her an envelope.

"What's this Mr. Stark?" She asked, eyeing the envelope. He nodded for her to take it. She did and opened it. Her mouth fell open in shock.

"I figured you'd want to go home for Christmas," Tony said. "So that's first class ticket. Sorry I didn't consider that sooner." She smiled a little. "Happy can take you to the airport."

"Thank you," Pepper said. "I really appreciate it."

"Merry Christmas, Ms. Potts," Tony turned towards his son. "Pete, buddy, can you wish Pepper a Merry Christmas before she leaves?" 

"Merry Christmas Pepper!" Peter said excitedly. Pepper smiled.

"Merry Christmas to both of you," She said. She held the envelope close to her heart and then disappeared through the crowd. Tony smiled before glancing at his son.

"How about we go look at more lights?" He asked and Peter nodded, excitedly. Tony headed away from the tree, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	18. Christmas (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Merry Christmas daddy!" Peter said, smiling at Tony. Tony shook his head and then pulled Peter towards him, tickling the four-year-old. Peter squealed loudly, laughter filling the room. Tony stopped, a grin on his face, and held Peter close.
> 
> "Merry Christmas bambino."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh did someone ask for more fluff?

"Daddy!" Tony opened his eyes to Peter throwing himself onto the bed in the master suite. "Get up daddy!" Peter was now kneeling next to Tony, furiously shaking him. 

"Bambino it's early," Tony said, not opening his eyes. Peter whined and kept shaking Tony. Tony opened one eye and glanced at the clock. It was 6 AM. He let out a groan. Of course his hyperactive kid was so excited that he'd wake him up at the crack of dawn. Tony sat up slowly. As he did, Peter crawled into his lap.

"Merry Christmas daddy!" Peter said, smiling at Tony. Tony shook his head and then pulled Peter towards him, tickling the four-year-old. Peter squealed loudly, laughter filling the room. Tony stopped, a grin on his face, and held Peter close.

"Merry Christmas bambino." Tony said, kissing the side of Peter's head. "Ready for your presents?" Peter nodded excitedly, crawling out of the bed. Tony sighed and stood up. Peter had gone to sleep late the night before, claiming he wanted to stay up to see Santa. After putting Peter to bed, Tony then had to put out all of his son's presents. By the time he had done that, it had been close to 2 AM. Normally, Tony didn't sleep much, but having his son attack him to get up certainly didn't help.

"Wow!" Tony reached the living room of their hotel suite. Peter was, seemingly, staring wide-eyed at the tree in the center of the room. There was an assortment of presents underneath. "Daddy look!"

"Santa brought you a lot of presents this year," Tony said, walking over to Peter. But Peter shook his head and pointed at the window, just beyond the tree. He grabbed Tony's hand and ran towards the window. Tony followed, wondering what Peter was pointing to. Then he saw it.

Snow.

It must've started snowing after Tony went to sleep, because the city was covered in a blanket of white. Peter placed his hands against the window and looked out, a huge smile on his face. He stood up on his toes to see everything better. Tony picked him up, allowed him to get a full view of the snow-covered city.

"Wow," Peter said quietly, staring out. His brown eyes followed the snowflakes as they fell gently from the sky. His mouth was slightly open, like he was saying 'wow' over and over again. Tony couldn't help but smile, seeing how mesmerized by the snow.

"Don't you want to open your presents bambino?" Tony asked. Peter didn't look away from the window. 

"But snow daddy," He said, his voice quiet. It was as if he was afraid the snow would stop if he spoke too loud.

"Maybe when we go see your aunt and uncle, we can play outside in it," Peter looked wide-eyed at Tony. 

"We can play in it?" He asked excitedly. Tony nodded. Peter smiled. "Then we have to daddy, we have to!" 

"Presents first bambino," Tony said. "Santa brought all this stuff for you." He put Peter down and Peter ran over to the tree, his little feet padding against the carpeted floor. Tony headed towards the small kitchen to make some coffee. As the coffee brewed, he watched Peter circle the tree, deciding which present to pick first. He had a very determined look on his face, and his tongue poked out from the side of his lips. After the coffee was brewed, Tony walked over with the mug and sat down on the floor. 

"Which one are you going to pick first?" Tony asked as Peter stared at the assortment of presents. Peter walked over to Tony. 

"That depends which presents are from Santa and which are from you," Peter said. Tony gave his son a look. "I saw all the bags Uncle Happy was putting into the car." Tony chuckled.

"Sorry bambino," Tony said. "I know Santa's supposed to do the gift-giving but I wanted to get you a few things. Like that one." He pointed to a perfectly wrapped gift with sparkling green wrapping paper. Peter grabbed it and sat in Tony's lap. It was about the size of Peter's wingspan, so holding it was tough for the small boy.

"Then I'll open it first!" Peter said excitedly. Tony kissed the top of Peter's head as the boy began to tear into the wrapping paper. Tony sipped his coffee as Peter pulled the paper away, making an adorable little noise as he did. Once the wrapping paper was off, he pushed it to the side. 

"What is it daddy?" Peter asked, looking at the picture on the box. 

"Well you know how daddy builds things for work?" Peter nodded. "Well this is something you can build, but for your little hands."

"My hands aren't little!" Peter protested, pouting at his father. Tony chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. He then looked at the box, taking in every part of the picture on the front. 

"They're called Legos," Tony said. Peter looked up at Tony and smiled. He then wrapped his arms around Tony's neck and hugged him. Tony leaned his head down on top of Peter's head, breathing in his son's curls. 

"Thank you, daddy," Peter said, before pulling away. "Can we build it now? Together?" Tony smiled, a watery smile. God, his kid made him emotional.

"Maybe later bambino," Tony said. "You have to get to Santa's presents." Peter nodded and gently put the box down, as if it was the most precious thing in the world. He then ran over to the tree to grab more presents. 

"There's something here for you, daddy!" Peter said. Tony looked a little surprised. All of the presents had been for Peter. Peter ran over, carrying a small present, about the size of a thin paperback. He handed it to Tony and ran back to the tree to dig into another present. Tony stared at the small present. It was thin, with a bit of weight. The red wrapping paper was done by someone who knew what they were doing; there was not a crinkle in sight. There was a sticker on the gift, with his name written in perfect script. He'd know that handwriting anywhere.

Pepper.

He smiled, thinking of how sweet the gesture was. He flipped the wrapped present over and found the fold of the wrapping paper. He ran his finger underneath, removing the paper from the present. As soon as he was done, the paper fell away to the floor. The item in his hand was a frame for a picture. The back of the frame was facing up, with a small yellow post-it on it. 

_The Stark boys_ , it read in Pepper's perfect script. Tony flipped it over and felt his breath catch in his throat. It was a simple picture of him and Peter. Peter was seated on the counter, laughing, a big smile on his face. Tony was standing in front of him grinning down at his son. He wasn't sure when the picture was taken, but it warmed his heart. He loved his son more than anything, but seeing the happiness in his son's eyes? Well that was everything. He felt his eyes well up with tears.

"Daddy?" Peter's little feet padded over to where Tony was sitting. "Why are you sad?" Tony shook his head and smiled at his son.

"I'm not sad, bambino," Tony said. Tony put the picture down. "I love you Peter, you know that right?" Peter nodded.  

"And I love you too daddy," Peter said. "Now help me open my presents!" Peter tugged on Tony's arm. Tony stood up, scooping Peter up in the process. Peter pouted in protest and Tony just chuckled. Then the two Stark boys headed towards the tree and the pile of waiting presents.

* * *

A few hours later, after all the presents had been opened, Tony dressed Peter and then got ready to head to May and Ben's apartment. The four-year-old stared excitedly out of the window, while Tony drove. He had sent Happy home as well because he wanted to spend Christmas morning with his son and because even Happy needed a day off every now and then. As it was Christmas morning, there were very few people on the road. It took no time for them to reach Queens. Tony parked and unloaded Peter from the car. He also held a small bag in his free hand. He entered the building and climbed the stairs to the apartment. He knocked on the door, while Peter wriggling with impatience in his arms. Ben opened the door and Tony fought back the eye roll that came with dealing with the police office.

“Merry Christmas Uncle Ben!” Peter said happily. Ben chuckled and smile.

“Merry Christmas kiddo,” Ben said. He stepped aside and Tony walked in, not glancing over at him. There was a tree in the corner of the room that was decorated with ornaments. There were a few presents underneath it. May came out of the kitchen, a big smile on her face. 

“Hi sweetie,” She cooed, seeing Peter. Tony willingly let May take Peter out of his arms. “Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas!” He said back. Ben closed the door and walked further into the apartment.

“I’m sure you have important work to do Stark,” Ben said. “You don’t have to stick around.” Tony raised an eyebrow at Ben, but didn’t have time to respond.

“Aunt May, daddy said we could play in the snow,” Peter said excitedly. May smiled and glanced at Tony. “Can we?” May chuckled a little. She thought it was sweet that Peter was asking for permission. She had read enough about Tony Stark since she had heard the news. She had expected Tony to be a mess as a father. She had expected that after a few weeks, he would’ve just left Peter with her and Ben. He hadn’t, which had surprised the heck out of her. What surprised her even more, was how polite Peter could be. Tony was rich, either a billionaire or a millionaire (not that May really cared to check the difference). She half-expected Tony to raise a spoiled child. But here was Peter asking permission to do something because it wasn’t his house. Or how he was nice about her burning the cookies the other day.

May loved her nephew. But she also loved that he was an angel and was being raised right.

“We sure can,” May said. “But I think Santa left some presents here for you.” Peter’s eyes lit up. May smiled and put him down. Peter scurried over to the tree and just as he had that morning, surveyed the presents. There were only three, but he still looked them over with immense curiosity. As he did, Tony walked over to May and handed her the small bag. She raised an eyebrow but took it.

“Just a little something,” Tony said with a shrug. She reached into the bag and pulled out a small photo book. “It’s just some photos of Peter. But I thought you might like to have them.” May smiled, gratefully at him. 

“Thank you,” She said, before walking over to where Ben was. Tony watched as they looked through the book. He had made sure to pick photos that were major milestones for Peter. He also made sure they were just photos of Peter. No one else, and certainly not him. Ben refused to smile at the gesture, but May had a huge smile on her face. That was enough for Tony. He then turned and headed over to where Peter was.

* * *

Peter stood outside, all bundled up for the weather. He stared at the snow on the ground, not sure what to do. Ben walked over to him and squatted down so he was at Peter’s eye level. Peter looked at him, still confused. Ben chuckled and simply reached his hand down, picking up the snow. Peter watched wide-eyed as Ben molded it into a small ball. Immediately, Peter began copying him.

Tony stood not too far off, watching. It was clear that Ben was never going to like him. Regardless of what had happened in the past, Ben seemed to only see him as a rich jerk. Which, in the past he had been. But he liked to think that he had changed and was different now.

“Ben’s really good with Peter,” May said, with a small smile. She was standing next to Tony now. “I thought it would’ve been hard for him because of Richard, but he really adores him, you know?” Tony nodded. “Look, I know my husband doesn’t like you. He’s really bad at hiding his feelings about it.”

“That was evident,” Tony said and May sighed.

“I just appreciate you letting us get to know Peter,” May said. “He’s a wonderful boy.” Tony nodded, not mentioning what Ben had told him when they had first met. It was clear the Parker’s were both naturals with Peter and a part of him felt bad that they couldn’t have their own children. Maybe that was why he brought Peter to New York when he could. He also liked knowing that Peter had family out there. When he had lost his parents, it had been hard for him. It certainly didn’t help that he had such limited family. He had Rhodey, who wasn’t technically family, but Tony imagined that having Rhodey around was probably exactly what having a brother would’ve been like. He had Edwin Jarvis for some time after his parents passed, but eventually, old age took him too.

All Tony really wanted was Peter to know that people loved him. And both Parkers’ clearly showed that affection towards Peter. Tony was brought out of his thoughts, by a snowball hitting him. May bit back a laugh. Tony looked over at Peter, who’s arm was being guided by Ben. Peter was giggling. Ben had a smirk on his face, clearly pleased with himself. May glanced at Tony, wondering what he was going to do. Tony put his hands in his pockets and strode over to where Peter was. 

“Any idea where that snowball came from Peter?” He asked, looking around. Peter giggled, before throwing another snowball at Tony. It him in the leg and Tony gasped dramatically. “My own son!” Peter giggled louder and ran off. Tony chased off after him, letting him run around a bit, before scooping him up. Peter, who had picked up some snow while he was running, dumped it on Tony’s head.

“Got you, daddy,” Peter said with a smile on his face. Tony chuckled and shook the snow out of his hair.

“Yeah you did, bambino,” Tony said. He couldn’t help but smile. Even being around Ben who hated him, Tony couldn’t help but be happy.

Because his son was happy and that was all that mattered to him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	19. First Day of Kindergarten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sir,” JARVIS’s voice broke him free from his thoughts. “Peter is requesting entry to the workshop.” Tony looked up at the door to see his five-year-old son standing at the door, sleepily rubbing at his eyes. Tony sighed and put his tools down. He got off the stool and unlocked the lab door. Peter entered the workshop and immediately wrapped his arms around Tony’s legs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has over 10,000 hits? You guys! Thank you so so much!
> 
> A lot of people have been asking me where this story is heading in relation to all the movies. This one will end right before Iron Man 1 and it WILL be a series. 
> 
> But until then, enjoy!

Tony sat in his workshop, working on something for Stark Industries. He had been up all night working on it. It needed to be perfect. And it needed to be done soon, as his presentation on it was only a few days away.

“Sir,” JARVIS’s voice broke him free from his thoughts. “Peter is requesting entry to the workshop.” Tony looked up at the door to see his five-year-old son standing at the door, sleepily rubbing at his eyes. Tony sighed and put his tools down. He got off the stool and unlocked the lab door. Peter entered the workshop and immediately wrapped his arms around Tony’s legs.

“Daddy,” He whined. “I can’t sleep.” Tony sighed and leaned down. Peter let Tony pick him up. He leaned his head against Tony’s shoulder and whined a little. Tony kissed the top of Peter’s head and turned the lights off in the workshop. His project could wait until the morning. He left the lab and headed up the stairs.

“What’s wrong bambino?” Tony asked as he reached the top of the steps. Peter didn’t say anything, just whined again. “Do you want a snack?”

“Okay,” Peter said, quietly. Tony walked into the kitchen. He put Peter down on the counter. It always made him smile that his son was still small enough to fit on the kitchen counters. He had countless photos of Peter sitting there. And he loved every single one. He went into the cupboard above Peter’s head where he kept the sweets (because he had to keep them out of reach of his five-year-old) and took out a box of cookies. He took out two and put the rest back. He handed one to Peter, who took it and nibbled on it.

“Have you slept at all bambino?” Tony asked. Peter didn’t answer, still nibbling away on the cookie. Tony glanced at the ceiling. “JARVIS, has Peter slept?”

“No sir,” JARVIS said. “Peter has been awake in bed for the last few hours.” Peter glared at the ceiling.

“Meanie,” Peter said accusingly at the ceiling.

“My apologies young sir,” JARVIS said back. Peter stuck his tongue out at the ceiling and Tony chuckled. Peter finished his cookie, but was still pouting. Tony put the cookie he had down and picked Peter up. He walked down the hallway to Peter’s room, Peter having gone back to resting his head against Tony’s shoulder. The room was slightly lit up by a night-light that made it look like there were stars on the ceiling. There were countless Lego boxes around the room, some opened, some not. Peter had seemed to really like the first set that Tony had bought for him. He had built it faster than Tony expected. It made him smile every time Peter would play with them. He always loved building and tinkering with things and it made him happy to see Peter do the same.

“I’m not sleepy,” Peter whined. Tony shook his head and placed Peter down on the bed, even though Peter tried to wind his arms around Tony’s neck, trying to keep him from putting him down. Eventually, Peter let go and pouted from where he was on the bed. Tony sat down on the bed and leaned against the headboard. Peter scooted close to him, leaning his small body against Tony’s arm.

“What’s wrong bambino?” Tony asked.

“I’m scared,” Peter said. Tony glanced down at his son. “About starting to kindergarten. I don’t have friends there.” Tony sighed. Peter was starting kindergarten in the morning. Tony had selected a private school because it had an excellent reputation, but it meant that Peter wasn’t going to school with any of the kids he had met in preschool. Tony wrapped his arm around Peter and Peter pushed himself closer to Tony’s side.

“Kindergarten’s going to be great buddy,” Tony said. “You’re going to meet tons of new little friends and get to play with them and learn a lot of cool things.” Peter just whined a little. “You’re going to great, bambino, you know why?” Peter looked up at Tony with his perfect little, doe eyes. “Because you’re the best kiddo. Everything is going to be okay.” Peter nodded and Tony kissed his head. “Now, let’s try and sleep, okay?”

“Can you stay here?” Peter asked, looking up at him. Tony nodded as Peter scooted under the covers. Tony gently carded his hand through Peter’s hair as the five-year-old’s eyes started to drift shut. Eventually, Peter fell asleep. Tony gently kissed his son’s head and slowly lifted himself from the bed. As he left the room, he started formulating a plan for the morning.

* * *

“Up and at ‘em bambino.” The morning came fast. Tony stood at the door of Peter’s room. He walked and scooped the five-year-old out of bed. “Time to get ready for school.”

“Daddy,” Peter whined. Tony chuckled and pressed kisses all over Peter’s face. “Daddy, stop.”

“Well if you insist bambino,” Tony said, before gently putting his son down. Peter rubbed his eyes sleepily. “Besides, it’s time for pancakes.” Peter’s eyes lit up.

“I thought pancakes were only for Sunday.” Peter said, excitement in his voice. Tony smirked.

“I made an exception for someone’s first day of school,” Tony said. Peter grinned widely and ran out of the room, Tony chasing after him. Sure enough, on the kitchen table was a stack of pancakes. Peter quickly seated himself. Tony smirked and placed a few pancakes on the plate in front of Peter and passed him the syrup. Peter focused on pouring out the perfect amount of syrup, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he did. Tony chuckled as he poured himself a cup of coffee. It was his second of the day, as he had made himself one when he woke up to make the pancakes.

“Thank you, daddy,” Peter said with a mouthful of pancakes. Tony smiled and sipped his coffee. His phone began ringing and he smirked when he saw it was Rhodey.

“Well hey there platypus,” Tony said, answering the phone. He heard Rhodey chuckle on the other end. “What did I do to get such a lovely phone call this early in the morning?”

“I was actually looking for my nephew,” Rhodey said. Tony scoffed, as if he was insulted. He then put the phone on speaker.

“Alright go ahead,” Tony said.

“Hey Pete,” Rhodey said. Peter dropped his fork and smiled.

“Hi Uncle Rhodey!” Peter said excitedly. Tony smiled and walked over to Peter. He wiped some syrup off his mouth, eliciting a giggle from Peter.

“You excited for your first day of kindergarten?” Rhodey asked. Tony glanced at his son. Last night, Peter had been scared about that. How would he feel today?

“Uh huh,” Peter said, taking another bite of pancake. “I wish you were here though.”

“Chew buddy,” Tony said with a chuckle. He heard Rhodey laugh on his end. He heard something in the driveway. He smirked, having a feeling where this was all going.

“Aw me too Pete,” Rhodey said. Tony and Peter heard the door open and Peter’s eyes lit up. Rhodey then walked into the kitchen. “I couldn’t miss a day like this.” Peter grinned widely. Rhodey walked over and gave Peter a hug, ruffling his hair.

“Daddy made pancakes!” Peter said, pointing to his plate. Rhodey chuckled and walked over to where Tony was standing.

“I thought pancakes were for Sundays,” Rhodey said and Tony shrugged.

“Special occasion,” Tony said. “Peter, you gotta go get dressed. I left your clothes out.” Peter nodded and ran off to his room. “So are you actually here just for Peter’s first day of kindergarten or is this checking in for work?” Rhodey smirked.

“Two birds, one stone,” He said. “You’ve got a contract to fulfill my friend.” Tony sighed and nodded. “You almost done with it?”

“I have some kinks to work out,” Tony said. “But I think everyone will be happy with it. I can show you the specs after Peter’s at school.” Rhodey nodded. “So do you want to come with?”

“Well hell yeah,” Rhodey said. “This is my nephew after all.” Tony smiled and clapped Rhodey on the shoulder. He then headed down the hallway. He walked into Peter’s room, to see his son struggling to get a shirt over his head. Tony bit back a laugh and walked in, kneeling down in front of Peter.

“Easy bambino,” Tony said. Peter stopped moving but huffed in adorable frustration. Tony pulled the shirt down, so it was no longer tangled over Peter’s head. He pouted and Tony chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair. The shirt was blue with a race-car on it. Tony had set it out with a pair of brown shorts, as it was still warm out. Peter went over to the bed and sat down. He pulled the socks on, followed by his Velcro sneakers, his tongue poking out as he focused on strapping the Velcro down. When he finished, he stood up and smiled.

“Ready daddy!” He said. Tony smiled and stood up. Peter grabbed his backpack and ran back towards the front of the house where Rhodey was waiting.

“Alright let’s get going,” Tony said. Peter ran out to the car, Tony and Rhodey following. Tony got into the back with Peter, making sure his son was buckled into the booster seat. Peter didn’t like it because he said it was for babies. But Tony said it kept him safe and Tony didn’t need to worry about all the things that could happen if they stopped short and Peter wasn’t strapped into a safe seat. It didn’t help that Peter was still so small. He asked every time they went to the doctor and Tony was sure the pediatrician thought he was crazy. But Peter was on the lower end of the weight spectrum. But then his kid had the energy of any five-year-old and Tony relaxed a little.

When they arrived at the school, Tony noticed Peter grow quiet. Tony leaned down so only Peter could hear him. Peter looked up at him with big brown doe eyes.

“Everything’s going to be great, bambino,” Tony promised and Peter nodded. Happy pulled into a parking spot. Tony unbuckled Peter and let the boy get out of the car. Peter ran over to Tony’s side as soon as he was out of the car and took Tony’s hand. Rhodey and Happy both got out of the car.

“We’re fine Hap,” Tony said. Happy gave him a look and Tony rolled his eyes.

“I’ve got this one,” Rhodey said, clapping Happy on the shoulder. Happy sighed before getting back into the car. Tony and Peter headed towards the school, Rhodey just a step behind them. Tony had toured the school before he had decided to send Peter there. It was a modern looking building, gray on the outside and flat, meaning there was really only one floor to the whole school. He didn’t get why schools looked like that, but it seemed more inviting than any school he ever went to then. Then again, by the time Tony had hit double digits he had been shipped off to boarding school to not be a problem anymore (or so his father said). He entered the building, ignoring a few people who noticed him and were definitely whispering. Even though it was common knowledge that Tony Stark had a child, the press had kept to their word and not snapped any photos of Peter. Because of that, many people even doubted the validity of the story.

But Tony Stark approaching a kindergarten class? That couldn’t be denied.

They entered a classroom whose door was decorated with all types of paper made plants with the names of the children on it. Tony fought down an eye roll realizing the teacher had gone with the literal translation of kindergarten for the theme. There were fifteen or so other children running around the room and various parents. There was a woman wearing a black button up blouse and salmon capris standing near the board. She noticed Tony and walked over.

“Mr. Stark,” She said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Tony nodded and smiled. She leaned down and smiled at Peter. “And who’s this?”

“I’m Peter,” He said, a little shyly, holding Tony’s hand tightly.

“Well hi Peter,” She said. “I’m Miss Maggie and I’m your kindergarten teacher and I’m so excited that you’re here.” Peter couldn’t help but smile. Tony couldn’t blame him, she seemed like a very sweet person. “Do you want to go play with the other children?” Peter looked up at Tony. “We have a lot of fun toys. We have blocks, stuffed animals, and even Legos.” Peter’s eyes lit up.

“Legos?” He asked and Miss Maggie nodded. He smiled and looked at Tony, who smiled down at him. Peter hugged his leg, letting go of his hands.

“Bye daddy,” Peter said. “Bye Uncle Rhodey.” Peter then ran off to where the Legos were, joining a thin red-headed boy who already playing with them.

“Thank you,” Tony said. “Peter was a little nervous.” Miss Maggie smiled and nodded.

“All kids are on the first day,” She said. “But I promise you, he will be fine. And the principal had myself and the classroom aids sign the NDAs as you asked.”

“We appreciate that,” Rhodey said. “Privacy and all.” Miss Maggie glanced at him, a little confused. “I’m Peter’s godfather.” She nodded, understanding a bit better.

“He’ll be safe and happy here,” She said. “I can assure you of that.” Tony nodded.

“Thank you,” Tony said. “I suppose we should go. Let you educate the future.” The teacher smiled and walked away. Tony glanced at Peter, who was already building something with the Legos, the other boy watching him build with gleeful fascination. Tony smiled before heading out of the classroom. As they left the building and approached the car, Rhodey spoke.

“How are we feeling?” Rhodey asked and Tony sighed a little.

“Just a little worried,” Tony said. It was true. His heart was a little heavy. Peter had been scared about kindergarten and that made him worry. He just wanted his son to be happy. Was that so much to ask.

“He’ll be fine,” Rhodey said. “That teacher was great with him. Also, why is that kindergarten teachers are always adorable, petite woman?” Tony snorted

“You’re not allowed to have a crush on my kid’s teacher,” Tony said as they got into the car. Rhodey held up his hands, but there was a wry smile on his face.

“Oh come on,” Rhodey said. “You noticed.”

“I was focused on my kid,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Now are we going to talk about work or are you going to plan passes at my kid’s teacher?” Rhodey rolled his eyes but chuckled. Happy drove down the road and Tony resisted the urge to turn back towards the school, needing to believe that Peter was going to be fine.

* * *

Tony worked on his weapons presentation for most of the day, as that was the main reason that Rhodey was there. It kept him distracted and from worrying about Peter.  _ My son is fine _ , Tony kept telling himself, and as he hadn’t received any calls from the school, he had to know that was true. Once the presentation was all set, Tony went back to his office. Rhodey had stepped out to call his office in DC to provide an update. Tony’s actual presentation for the sale was next week and he’d do in virtually from California. Even though Peter was older, Tony didn’t like to travel as much. He would only do it if it was absolutely necessary and would always try to plan it so he could either bring Peter or stop in New York first, to have Peter stay with May and Ben.

“Mr. Stark,” Pepper walked in, holding some files. She placed them in front of Tony and he perused through them, knowing he had to sign something. “Wasn’t today Peter’s first day of kindergarten?” Tony bit back a smirk. Pepper knew it was. She had the date circled in his calendar months in advance, she was just being polite.

“That it is,” Tony said, finding where his signature needed to go. “His teacher seems very nice. And the classroom had Legos.”

“I’m sure Peter’s impressing everyone,” Pepper said with a small smile.

“What’s the kid doing now?” Obadiah walked into the office, his hands in his pockets. Tony bit back a frown. He didn’t like talking about his son with Obadiah, as his business partner hardly acknowledged his son’s existence. And if he did, it was only to call Peter ‘the kid’. Pepper sent Tony a warning glance as Obadiah approached.

“It’s Peter’s first day of kindergarten,” Tony said, not choosing to add anything more.

“Huh,” Obadiah said. “I remember when you were that age.” He smirked at Tony and Tony rolled his eyes.

“Well now my own son is that age,” Tony said, standing up and handing the files back to Pepper. He looked down at his watch. “And if you excuse me, I have to pick him up from school.”

“I’ll walk you out Mr. Stark,” Pepper said. Tony turned his computer off, grabbed his things and headed out of the office, Pepper keeping in step with him. Tony sighed as soon as they were away from the office. “You handled that well.”

“I guess it’s the politest thing he’s ever said,” Tony grumbled. “I still don’t like how he treats Peter.” Pepper sighed and nodded.

“Maybe someday,” She said as they reached the parking lot of Stark Industries. Happy was waiting by the car and he could see Rhodey was already sitting in the car, still talking on the phone. “Tell that sweet boy of yours I said hi.”

“You could stop by and tell himself yourself,” Tony said, with a shrug. Pepper smiled a little. “I’m sure there’s something you could find that I need to sign around,” He checked his watch. “Say six o’clock, usually dinnertime.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes playfully.

“I will see you tomorrow Mr. Stark,” Pepper said. Tony nodded, the smirk not leaving his face. She then walked back towards the building and Tony got into the car, just as Rhodey ended his call.

“All good?” Tony asked and Rhodey nodded. “Great, let’s go pick up my son.”

* * *

Peter had been talking excitedly about his first day of school since Tony had picked him up. He had a huge smile on his face and barely breathed as he spoke. Peter’s teacher, Miss Maggie, had assured Tony that Peter had had a great day. Peter also told him about his new friend Liam, who also loved Legos but wasn’t allowed to have them because he had a baby sister who almost swallowed one.

Tony couldn’t help but smile as Peter talked. He was glad that Peter had had such a great first day, especially with how he had been feeling the night before. Tony watched Peter from the kitchen. He was sitting in the living room, building a new Lego set Rhodey had bought for him. It was an airplane, obviously, and Peter was doing well assembling it even though the box said it was for children ages six and up. Tony had never tested his child’s intelligence, figuring that could wait until he was closer to high school age, but he certainly hoped his son had inherited his intelligence. For now, he was just happy seeing how much Peter loved Legos and how quickly he could assemble them.

“Sir,” JARVIS said, cutting into his thoughts. “Ms. Potts is at the door.” Peter looked up from his Legos, a big smile on his face.

“Let her in daddy!” Peter said, getting up from where he was sitting. Tony chuckled, glad that Pepper had taken him up on his offer.

“As the kid said JARVIS,” Tony said. He heard the door open and Pepper’s heels click as she entered from the hallway. Peter ran over to her and Pepper squatted down, allowing the small boy to wrap her in a hug.

“Hi Pepper!” He said excitedly. Pepper let go of him and smoothed down his hair.

“Hi sweetie,” She said. “How are you?”

“Great!” Peter said. He then ran back to where his Legos were. Pepper smiled and stood back up, smoothing her skirt as she did. She walked over to where Tony was.

“Papers for me, Ms. Potts?” Tony asked and Pepper bit back a smirk. “I think he really appreciates that you’re here.” He nodded to where Peter was.

“Couldn’t resist,” Pepper said. “Surprisingly, I have nothing for you to sign. But I suppose we could go over the itinerary for next week’s presentation.”

“After dinner,” Tony said. “Join us. I made pasta aglio e olio.” He turned the stove top off, after swirling the contents in the bowl a few times. “Dinner time Peter.” Peter pushed his Legos into one spot on the carpet and ran over to the table. He sat in his normal seat and Rhodey sat across from him. Tony set out four bowls and glanced at Pepper who shrugged, but sat down next to Rhodey.

“Smells good Tones,” Rhodey said. “What are we having Pete?”

“Pasta ag-gli and oil,” Peter said, trying his best to pronounce the Italian. Tony chuckled as he served the dish to each person.

“Close enough bambino,” Tony said, before sitting down. “Now eat up.” Peter nodded and dug into his food. The adults at the table made small talk as Peter ate. When he was finished, he stared at them, not sure what they were talking about. Pepper glanced over at Peter.

“So sweetie,” Pepper said, with a kind smile. “How was your first day of school?” Peter smiled brightly and began talking, recounting the whole day for Pepper. Tony smiled and watched his son as he spoke. His big brown eyes shined brightly as he spoke. He had a smile on the whole time he spoke. Tony couldn’t help but smile, glad that the first day went well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my Tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	20. Stomach Virus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I apologize for the interruption Mr. Stark,” She said, approaching them. “But Peter’s school just called. He’s in the nurse’s office with a fever and threw up.” Tony nodded, trying to fight down the panic and concern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter started as one thing and swerved to another. So, enjoy that!

Tony stood in the conference room. He was presenting a new idea to allow weapons to fire faster and more efficiently. His premise was that if it worked, the weapons would make exponentially a great difference in wars. Tony was all about efficiency when it came to his inventions. Obadiah looked pleased with what he was saying, but then again anything that improved Obie’s bottom-line made him happy. He strode back and forth in front of the projector explaining, his hand tucked in the pocket of his suit, a confident grin on his face.

Some people felt that fatherhood made Tony soft, that having a child meant he couldn’t possibly still be a genius running a billion-dollar corporation. They were wrong. In fact, since his son had been born, Tony had been all about making weapons that were far more efficient because he knew how precious time was. When he finished, the room applauded politely and he smiled confidently. As everyone filed out, Obadiah walked up to him and clapped him on the shoulder.

“What a presentation,” Obie said with a big grin. “And those specs? You’ve out-done yourself Tony.” He smirked and nodded. He was about to speak when Pepper entered the conference room, a concerned look on her face.

“I apologize for the interruption Mr. Stark,” She said, approaching them. “But Peter’s school just called. He’s in the nurse’s office with a fever and threw up.” Tony nodded, trying to fight down the panic and concern. He didn’t dare look at Obie, who he was sure was rolling his eyes.

“Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day Ms. Potts,” Tony said. Pepper nodded and Tony quickly left the conference room. He stopped in his office and then headed out of the building. Happy appeared behind him as soon as he was out of the building.

“What’s going on boss?” Happy asked.

“Peter’s sick,” Tony said. “We need to go pick him up.”’ He tossed Happy his keys. “Drive fast.” They got in the car and Happy drove in the direction of Peter’s school. Tony anxiously tapped the window. Peter had only been sick a few times and usually they were ear infections. They were painful but manageable. But this sounded like a stomach virus, something his five-year-old hadn’t dealt with. He was sure his son was miserable. Not to mention how clingy Peter got when he was sick. They reached the school and Tony barely waited for the car to stop before he got out. He was in the school in a second, barely speaking to the secretary in the main office before being told where the nurse’s office was. He tried to steady his breathing. Peter was just a little sick, that was all.

When he reached the nurse’s office, he bit back a sad sound. Peter was laying on the little bed in the office and he looked so small. His face was pale and there was a clear frown on his face.

“Mr. Stark,” The nurse said as he entered. She was an elderly woman, perhaps mid-sixties. She was wearing a pink sweater and black dress pants. She had long black hair and a kind smile. She walked over to where Peter was lying. “Peter, your father is here.” Peter’s brown eyes opened and he saw Tony.

“Daddy,” He whined. Tony crossed the room and knelt down in front of him. “I don’t feel good.” Tony pulled Peter into a hug, not caring if his kid vomited on him. He pulled away and Peter’s eyes were red from tears.

“I’m going to take you home, okay buddy?” Peter nodded and Tony stood up. All he wanted was to pick his son and hold him closely. But they were at school and he didn’t want to embarrass Peter. The nurse handed Tony Peter’s backpack and they headed out, Peter holding tightly onto Tony’s hand. Once they reached the car, Tony buckled Peter in and moved closer to his son. Peter whined the whole ride home, the drive most likely upsetting his stomach more. Luckily, he didn’t get sick in the car.

Once they reached the house, Tony carried Peter inside, Peter burying his head in his dad’s shoulder.

“Let’s change your clothes bambino,” Tony said gently. Peter didn’t lift his head to respond, so Tony just carried him to his room. He put Peter down on his bed and Peter whined in response, staring at Tony with red-rimmed eyes.

“Daddy,” The five-year-old cried. Tony sighed but grabbed clean clothes for Peter. When he came back to Peter, the boy clung to his neck, making changing the small child difficult. Eventually, Tony got Peter out of the clothes that smelled vaguely of vomit. He lifted Peter up and the child clung to him tightly, little whimpers coming from him.

“Do you have to go back to work?” Peter asked sadly, his teary eyes looking up at Tony.

“No bambino,” Tony said, kissing his son’s head. “I’m staying here with you until you feel better.” He ran his hand across Peter’s forehead. “JARVIS, what’s Peter’s temperature.”

“100 degrees sir,” JARVIS said. Tony nodded. “I would recommend rest and fluids for the young sir.”

“Well then we better do that,” Tony said, glancing down at his son. Peter’s head rested against his shoulder and he was playing with the collar of Tony’s button-up. “Do you want to hang out in my room or the living room?”

“Your bed is more comfy than the couch,” Peter said, not looking up. Tony kissed his head.

“Then it’s decided,” Tony said. He carried Peter across the hall to his room. He moved the covers and put Peter down, tucking the five-year-old under the covers. He didn’t really care if Peter vomited on them, it was just things. He just wanted his kid to feel better. Peter must’ve expected Tony to sit down next to him because he whined when Tony walked away.

“I have to change bambino,” Tony said. “Daddy can’t relax in work clothes.” Peter pouted, but nodded. Tony disappeared into his closet and quickly changed out of the suit and into a T-shirt and sweat pants. When he was done, he found Peter crawling out of the bed, his face paler than before.

“I don’t feel good,” He whined. Tony quickly scooped Peter up, having a feeling he knew what was going to happen. He carried Peter into the bathroom and sat down in front of the toilet, just in time for Peter to throw up into it. He cried loudly and Tony felt a little part of his heart break. He did not like watching his son be so upset. “Make it stop.”

“You have to get it all out bambino,” Peter threw up again and he let out another cry. Tony rubbed Peter’s back, trying to soothe his upset child. Eventually, Peter stopped throwing up, but Tony was sure a lot of that had to with how there wasn’t much else for the kid to throw up. Tony grabbed some toilet paper and wiped his son’s mouth before standing up, still holding him close.

“Sorry daddy,” Peter said, putting his head on Tony’s shoulder. Tony sighed and kissed Peter’s forehead.

“Let’s get you some rest buddy,” He walked back into the bedroom. He put Peter down on the bed, Peter burrowing himself under the covers. Tony went to move towards the door.

“Daddy,” Peter whined, not happy to be left alone.

“I’ll be right back bambino,” Peter pouted at him, his eyes still red with tears. Tony sighed but left the room. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed one of Peter’s plastic cups and filled it with water. When he got back to the room, Peter was standing by the door. “What are you doing up buddy?”

“I want my platy,” Peter said sadly. Platy was what Peter called the stuffed animal that Tony had gotten Peter when he was two. Tony had gotten it partially because Rhodey had made a joke about the nickname Tony called him and partially because it was a cute toy. Peter loved it. When he was younger, he carried it with him everywhere. Now, it stayed on his bed for when he slept.

“I’ll get platy if you drink this,” Tony said, crouching down and giving his son the little, red plastic cup. Peter nodded and took the cup, holding it with two hands to drink from it. Satisfied, Tony get up and crossed the hallway. He found the toy sitting on top of all the pillows on the bed. It was purple with a yellow beak. He knew it looked quite unlike what a platypus looked like, but Peter loved it. He’d get into what the animal actually looked like when Peter was older. When Tony returned to the door of his room, Peter had just finished the cup of water. He held the cup up to Tony, who took it and handed his son the toy. Peter hugged it closely. Tony smiled.

“Alright bambino,” Tony said. “Time to rest.” Peter nodded and rubbed his eyes. It was clear he was tired. He walked over to king-sized bed and stared at it. Normally, Peter could use just about anything to climb up on to it. Today, probably because he was sick, he didn’t seem interested in doing that. Tony picked him up and placed him on the bed. Tony then sat down on the bed and Peter scooted closer, leaning his entire small body on Tony.

“JARVIS put on Peter’s favorite TV show,” Tony said and the TV clicked to life. Tony lifted his arm and Peter snuggled closer to his father.

“I love you, daddy,” The five-year-old said quietly. Tony smiled down at his son and kissed the top of his head.

“I love you too bambino,” Tony said. “And don’t you forget it.” Peter nodded, his eyes sleepily drifting shut. Tony held his son closely, watching as he fell asleep.

* * *

Pepper walked up to Tony’s house. She had just left the office for the day. She wanted to update Tony on a few matters relating to Stark Industries, but she also wanted to check in on Peter. She rang the doorbell and waited for JARVIS to let her in. After a few moments, she heard the door unlock. She opened it and entered. She walked down the hallway leading to the main room, her heels clicking down the hallway as she did. When she reached the kitchen, she found Tony looking a little disheveled. His hair was askew and there was a stain on his near his shoulder. He looked very similarly to his first few weeks as a parent; tired, messy, and probably covered in vomit.

Peter, who was sitting on the counter, looked up when Pepper entered. His face was a little pale and like his father, he always looked exhausted. Tony was standing in front of the counter, handing Peter saltine crackers, while holding a cup of water in the other hand.

“Hi Pepper,” Peter said quietly. It was clear the boy was sick. He’d usually wave excitedly to her or try to run over and give her a hug. But he just sat sadly on the counter, nibbling on a cracker.

“Ms. Potts,” Tony said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” Pepper smiled a little and moved closer to the two Stark boys.

“Just wanted to go over a few details with you,” Pepper said. “And I wanted to check on my favorite of the Stark boys.” If Tony hadn’t been so tired, he would’ve scoffed at Pepper’s comment. But he was exhausted. He hadn’t slept much the night before, having been working on a project for Stark Industries. And Peter had thrown up two more times since he had brought him home from school, including one time where it ended up on his shirt.

“I threw up on daddy,” Peter said sadly, looking down at his bare feet. Tony put the crackers on the cup down and ruffled Peter’s hair.

“Not the first time buddy,” Tony said. “You did it a lot when you were a baby.” Peter looked up, his eyes red with tears. “Oh come here buddy.” He scooped Peter up and hugged his son closely. Pepper bit back an ‘aw’. It was always sweet watching Tony with Peter. To everyone else, he was still the overconfident Tony Stark. He was smug, but charming. He could sell anything to anyone. But when he was home, it was all dad mode. Pepper had started working for Tony only two years before Peter’s birth. Even still, it was amazing to see the change. Tony was still a little clueless without a lot of things; she was pretty positive he didn’t know his own social security number, but he knew what to do when his son was sick. And to her, that was growth.

“How’s he doing?” Pepper asked gently as Tony rocked his crying son.

“He’s thrown up a couple of times and has a fever,” Tony said. “Mostly, he doesn’t like feeling sick.” Pepper nodded, feeling bad for the small boy.

“And what about you?” Tony sighed.

“I just want my kid to feel better,” Tony said. Pepper nodded.

“May I?” Pepper asked, pointing to Peter. “You look like you could use a break. And a shower. You smell like vomit.”

“Not the first time you’ve told me that,” Tony said with a shrug. “He gets a little clingy when he’s sick.” He looked down at Peter, who’s head was tucked into Tony’s shoulder. “Hey buddy, is it okay if Pepper spends a little time with you?” Peter looked at Tony and then at Pepper with his big, brown doe eyes. He then nodded. Tony passed the five-year old to Pepper. Pepper walked over to the living room.

“Do you want to play with your Legos Peter?” She asked. Tony smiled a little before leaving the room to shower. He didn’t want to be gone too long, but getting into the shower was more relaxing than Tony had expected. By the time he had got out, changed, and dried his hair off, it had been close to thirty minutes. He walked back to the living room and smiled at the sight before him.

Pepper was sitting on the couch, her eyes on the TV. She had turned on the channel and settled on some sort of kid’s movie. Tony didn’t recognize it, but was sure at some point Peter would want to watch it. As he moved closer to the couch, he noticed that Peter was lying down, his head on Pepper’s leg. There was a blanket on him and he was holding Platy close to him. Pepper was gently running through Peter’s hair, brushing the curls away from his forehead.

Tony thought back to the day Peter was born. He had always thought he should’ve asked her to be Peter’s godmother. At the time, he had worried that that would seem too forward. She was his PA; she cleaned up his messes, they weren’t supposed to be friends. But here she was, helping to take care of his sick son. He smirked to himself, knowing what he should do. He walked over and sat down on the couch next to Pepper.

“You don’t smell like vomit anymore,” Pepper said as soon as he sat down. Tony chuckled.

“Crazy what a little soap and water can do,” He said. “Movie any good?” Pepper shrugged.

“Peter said his friend Liam told him about it,” Pepper said. “You should probably watch it with him. When he’s not, you know, sick.” Tony glanced down at his sleeping son. He was still a little pale, but rest was best for him. They both grew quiet. Tony cleared his throat and Pepper glanced at him.

“So I’m going to need some paperwork drawn up,” He said. Pepper nodded. When he didn’t specify, she raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of paperwork, Mr. Stark?” She asked, his professional PA voice coming out. He bit down the smirk bubbling up.

“I need to determine a godmother for Peter,” Tony said. “I mean Rhodey’s his godfather, it’s only fair if he has a godmother.” Pepper nodded. The wheels were turning in her head. He wondered if she knew what he was up to, or if she just assumed he meant May.

“And when I draw up the paperwork,” Pepper asked, her hand still brushing Peter’s curls. “Who’s name should I put down?”

“Yours,” Her hand stopped. She looked at Tony with a raised eyebrow. “If you’re interested, that is.”

“Me?” She asked. “Why?” Tony smiled a little.

“You didn’t come by to discuss work,” Tony said. “You would’ve just called if it was Stark Industries related. You came by to check on the little guy.” She glanced down at Peter, a small smile on her face. “I’m kind of limited on family, which means Peter is too. But you, you care about him, even when you don’t have to.” She looked back up at Tony, a watery smile on her face. “So, would you be Peter’s godmother?”

“I’d be honored to,” Pepper said. “I’ll draw up the paperwork tomorrow.”

“Good,” Tony said. He was about to say something else when Peter made a noise and started to sit up. “Hey buddy, have a good nap?” Peter nodded, rubbing his eyes. “Think we can try eating something? Maybe some toast or bananas?” Pepper gave him a questioning look. “Bland foods are the only thing you’re supposed to eat when you have a weak stomach.” Tony stood up and walked over to Peter, picking him up. He carried him into the kitchen, the five-year old holding Platy in one hand and Tony’s shoulder with the other. Pepper watched them, a smile on her face.

She was glad she was going to be Peter’s godmother. Because she adored that little boy more than anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FLUFF.
> 
> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	21. A Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Daddy?” The door cracked open and Peter stuck his head in. “Are you awake daddy?”
> 
> “Yes bambino,” Tony said, opening his eyes slowly. Peter then bounded into the room and jumped onto the bed. Tony fought back a groan as his son threw himself on Tony.
> 
> “Happy birthday daddy!” Peter said, hugging Tony.

Light flooded into the room, slowly pulling Tony out of sleep. He groaned a little, annoyed with the sunlight. His head hurt, which was also frustrating. Rhodey had convinced him to go out the night before. It was supposed to be Rhodey’s birthday gift to Tony. Tony hadn’t gone out much since Peter had been born and certainly not like the night they had. Tony was also frustrated at how little alcohol was needed to get him drunk.

He remembered most of the night. They had gone out to some club that Rhodey had suggested, apparently because there was some sort of military discount. Tony hadn’t really been looking forward to it; he had just wanted to stay home with his son. But Rhodey had convinced him to go out and Pepper had watched Peter. He remembered having drinks and a couple of leggy blondes flirting.

He sat up suddenly and checked the other side of the bed. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was empty. He didn’t want to get back into his old bad habits. Flirting with leggy blondes or brunettes was fine, he just didn’t want to bring them home. Not with his son across the hall. He leaned back against the headboard, hoping to get a little more sleep.

“Daddy?” The door cracked open and Peter stuck his head in. “Are you awake daddy?”

“Yes bambino,” Tony said, opening his eyes slowly. Peter then bounded into the room and jumped onto the bed. Tony fought back a groan as his son threw himself on Tony.

“Happy birthday daddy!” Peter said, hugging Tony. Tony chuckled and hugged his son. “We made you breakfast!”

“We?” The door opened further and Rhodey walked in with a tray. Tony fought back an eye roll, especially when he saw the shit-eating grin on Rhodey’s face.

“Did we surprise you?” Peter asked. Tony smirked and kissed the top of Peter’s head.

“Yeah buddy, you did.” Peter smiled. Rhodey passed the tray to Tony, who put it on his lap. He saw the coffee mug and drank that first, downing the whole cup. “Breakfast in bed, huh?”

“It was Uncle Rhodey’s idea!” Peter said. “But I helped.”

“Well thank you buddy,” Tony said. “I love it.” The tray had a plate with eggs, bacon, and fruit. Tony wasn’t sure he could eat any of it. “But it’s a lot of food, I think I’m going to need some help.” Peter’s eyes widened and he smiled. Tony handed him the fork and Peter dug into the eggs.

“Happy birthday Tones,” Rhodey said with a smirk. Tony looked at Rhodey and rolled his eyes, mouthing ‘you’re the worst’. Rhodey just shrugged and left the room. Tony glanced down at Peter, who was sitting on his lap, happily eating scrambled eggs.

“So what do you want to do today bambino?” Tony asked. Peter looked up at his dad, an amused expression on his face. He put the fork down and finished what he was chewing.

“It’s your birthday daddy,” Peter said, a little exasperation in his voice. “You get to decide what we do today!” Tony chuckled and swiped a piece of bacon from the plate. He bit into it and chewed, thinking about what his son said. When he was done he glanced at Peter, who was waiting for a response.

“JARVIS what’s the weather today?” Peter looked up the ceiling. He better understood what JARVIS was. He still didn’t get what an AI was, but he knew there was a computer in their house that responded to questions and always had an answer.

“It is sunny and currently 72 degrees sir,” Tony smirked and glanced down at Peter.

“How about some swimming bambino?” Peter’s eyes lit up. He moved off the bed quickly, almost knocking the tray off the bed. Tony chuckled and stood up slowly, moving the tray to bedside table.

“Let’s do it daddy!” Peter said, jumping up and down. He looked up at the ceiling. “JARVIS is today perfect swimming weather?”

“Yes young sir,” Tony chuckled and walked over to Peter, ruffling his son’s hair. Peter ran out of the room, almost running into Rhodey in the process. He ducked around his godfather and ran into his room.

“What’s got your kid so hyped up?” Rhodey asked. Tony chuckled.

“Swimming,” Tony said. “And even though you were a dick this morning, you’re free to join us.” Rhodey rolled his eyes.

“Just thought you’d like some breakfast Tones,” Rhodey said. “After our evening. By the way, when did your alcohol tolerance go back to that idiot fifteen-year-old I met?” Tony chucked a pillow at Rhodey, who artfully dodged it.

“You’re the worst,” Tony mumbled before disappearing into his closet.

“You love me anyways!” Rhodey called before leaving the room.

* * *

Tony leaned his arms against the side of the pool. When Peter was born, Tony wanted to drain the pool and cover it with concrete. Pepper had talked him out of that, saying he just needed a cover for it. But once Peter turned four, Tony paid for private swimming lessons. Since then, Peter loved the pool. For Tony, the pool wasn’t too deep; it was barely five feet. But for Peter, that was a lot. He could kick around enough to keep himself above water, but Tony had bought him a floating tube so he could float on that.

Currently, his son was diving up and down in the tub, pretending to be a whale each time he surfaced. Tony wished he had a camera to record it. It was adorable.

“Tones.” Rhodey was sitting on the deck. He was reading a book, since he hadn’t brought swimwear with him for that trip. Tony looked up and saw Obadiah approaching. Tony glanced over at Peter. When Peter saw Obadiah, he ducked behind the tube. Tony frowned. He climbed out of the pool. It was clear his son was uncomfortable with Obie being there and he wanted him to leave as fast as possible.

“Bring Peter inside,” Tony said quietly to Rhodey. Rhodey nodded and headed to the side of the pool where Peter was. “Obie, what can I do for you?”

“Well I had to wish my favorite business partner a happy birthday,” Obadiah said. Tony nodded, watching Rhodey put a towel around Peter and walk him inside. As they pass Obie and Tony, Obie speaks. “Rhodes. Hi Peter.” Peter looks down at his feet and shuffles inside, Rhodey following him. “Never took your kid for shy.” Tony fights back a frown and forces a smile instead.

“Anything else?” Tony said. “I promised my son I would spend the day with him.” Obie nods and smirks a little.

“Well not the whole day,” Obie said. “There’s that gala tonight that you said you’d make an appearance at.” Tony nods. He hadn’t forgotten about it; he had just hoped he could have gotten out of it.

“A brief appearance,” Tony said. Obie nodded and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Now if you’ll excuse me. You know your way out.” He walked around Obadiah to go inside.

“I’ll see you at eight,” Obie said. “Try not to be too late.” Obadiah then walked past Tony and was gone as quick as he was there. Tony sighed. He was really hoping to get out of the gala. It seemed Obadiah coming over meant one thing.

He’d have to go.

* * *

Tony spent the rest of the day with Peter. They watched movies, played with Peter’s Legos, and ordered pizza. Peter even convinced Rhodey to get a small cake so they could sing to Tony. It had been a great day. Tony was almost sad to have to leave. But as it got closer to eight o’clock, he knew he had to go. He had talked to Rhodey about it and his friend had agreed to watch Peter while he went out. So he begrudgingly changed into a tuxedo and got ready to leave.

“Where are you going daddy?” Peter was in the living room with Rhodey. He was already in his pajamas. Tony had a plan for how this was going to go. He was going to show up, do one sweep of the room, down a glass of champagne, and then leave. Tony sighed. Peter scurried over to him and Tony picked him up.

“Daddy has to go to an event for work,” Peter frowned.

“But we were going to watch another movie.” Tony sighed and kissed his son’s forehead. Peter looked up at him with doe eyes and pouted. It killed Tony to have to go out.

“I know buddy,” Tony said. “And while I really want to stay here with you, I have to go. But it will be super-fast and Uncle Rhodey’s going to stay with you.” That didn’t stop Peter from pouting. “I will be back before you know, bambino.” Peter nodded and Tony pressed another kiss into his forehead. He then put him down. Peter stared up at him with sad eyes. Rhodey walked over and placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder.

“We’ll see you soon,” Rhodey said. Tony nodded and headed out of the house. He drove as fast as he could to get this over with. When he got there, he could see it was a massive event. Men in tuxes and women in gowns were entering the building. Tony tossed his keys to the valet and looked around. He didn’t spy anyone he knew, but it was clear people were recognizing him by the pointing and whispering. He fought down the sadness of leaving his son at home and headed up the red-carpeted stairs. As he walked in, he spotted the entrance to the ballroom, where everyone was heading.

“Mr. Stark!” He turned to see Pepper walked over to him quickly. She was wearing a long green gown with thin straps holding it up. He couldn’t see her heels, but was sure she was wearing the same black heels she always wore.

“Ms. Potts, good to see you,” Tony said, with a confident smile. “Shall we?” He then noticed a panicked expression on her face. “What’s wrong?” Before she could respond, Obadiah appeared.

“Tony!” He said, a wide grin on his face. “Glad you can make it. Let’s head inside.” Pepper went to say something, but Obie pushed Tony towards the door. As they entered, Tony understood Pepper’s sense of panic. The ballroom wasn’t set up for a gala. It was set up for a surprise party.

For him.

A younger Tony Stark would’ve loved an evening all about him. But Tony was annoyed. He had been tricked into leaving his son, for this? He was about to turn on Obie when the whole room broke into singing. Obadiah just smiled at him with the biggest grin and handed him a glass of champagne. When they were done, Tony forced a smile on his face and then everyone went back to mingling. Tony walked away from Obie, his hands shaking. He was so furious at Obie. All he wanted was to be home.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” He turned around. There was a blonde woman standing in front of him. She was wearing purple gown, capped at the shoulders, that ran down hugging her hips before stopping at her ankles. She had simple white heels on with them. “I don’t know if you remember me, I was at the press conference you had regarding your son.” He squinted a little. She did look oddly familiar. Was she the small reporter that had asked if his son was okay?

“Ah yes,” Tony said. “Ms,” He paused, realizing he didn’t actually know her name.

“Everheart, Christine Everheart.” She said, smiling. “I work for Vanity Fair.” Tony nodded. He thought that magazine was garbage, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “I was hoping to get an exclusive from you?” She batted her eyes at him and smiled sweetly. It was clear she wanted more than an exclusive. Tony cleared his throat and looked around the room. He spotted Pepper, clearly having a heated conversation with Obadiah.

“I’m not much an exclusives guy anymore,” Tony said. “But having a child will do that to you.” He tapped the counter of the bar and sighed. “You seem very nice Ms. Everheart, but I have a few more important matters to handle.” Christine frowned angrily and placed a hand on her hip.

“Like what?” She asked accusatorily. Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. She clearly thought she was a very important person. Maybe she did belong at her current place of employment.

“Like my kid,” He said, before walking past her towards Pepper. “Ms. Potts, if I could borrow you for a second.”

“Of course Mr. Stark,” She shot Obadiah a glare before walking with Tony away from him. “I swear, I had no idea that he planned this. I would’ve have warned you if I knew.” Tony shook his head.

“It’s fine.” Tony said. “I just, I need to leave. Is there an exit through the kitchen?” Pepper nodded. He handed her his valet ticket. “Great, get my car and meet me around back. I have a son to get home to.” Pepper nodded and disappeared through the crowd. Tony made his way towards the kitchen. A few people greeted him or wished him a happy birthday and he smiled, a phony yet confident smile. He made it into the kitchen. There was no one there, except one server, who was sitting down. He jumped up when he saw Tony and tried to speak, but was nervously sputtering over his words. Tony waved his hand for the server to stop. He then spotted pieces of chocolate cake and small plates.

“Wrap some of that up for me,” He ordered the server. The young man, probably no older than 21, nodded and did as Tony demanded. He disappeared and came back with a plastic container filled with cake. He held it out to Tony. Tony pulled a bill from his wallet and traded with the server. “Tell no one you saw me.” The server nodded and disappeared back into the ballroom, pocketing the money as he did.

“Mr. Stark,” He turned and saw Christine. She moved closer and closer until she had Tony pressed against the wall. She pressed herself against him. “Are you sure I can’t get that exclusive?”

“Positive.” She frowned and stormed off, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she left. Tony sighed and made a face at her antics before running for the exit. His car was waiting in the alleyway. Pepper had already moved to the passenger seat.

“Mr. Stark,” Pepper said. Tony sighed in relief as he got into the car. He handed the box to Pepper, who eyed it.

“Care to join us for some birthday cake?” He asked and Pepper laughed lightly.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Tony revved the car and drove off, heading to the only place he wanted to be at that very moment. Home.

* * *

Rhodey watched Peter out of the corner of his eye. Peter was sitting on the couch, a frown on his face. The frown had been there since Tony left a half hour ago. Nothing Rhodey said could cheer the kid up. It was clear he wanted Tony to be there.

“JARVIS,” Peter said, looking up at the ceiling. “Is daddy home yet?” He had done that a couple of times already. He would ask the AI that question and the AI would answer no. Peter’s shoulders would slump forward and his frown would just grow. Rhodey sighed, not excited to repeat that whole process.

“Yes young sir,” Peter’s eyes lit up and he jumped off the couch. He ran up the little stairs of the living room to the foyer, just as the door to the house opened.

“Daddy!” Peter shouted excitedly, seeing Tony walk in. Peter ran over to him and Tony scooped him up, covering his face in kisses. Peter giggled. “You’re home!”

“Yeah buddy I am,” Tony said, smiling at his son. “And I brought cake. And Pepper!” Peter looked over Tony’s shoulder and saw Pepper standing in the doorway.

“Hi Pepper!” Peter said, waving excitedly to her. “You look really pretty.” Pepper smiled and walked in, closing the door behind her. She affectionately tousled Peter’s hair and ran a thumb across his cheek.

“Aren’t you just the sweetest,” She said, before moving into the living room. She kicked off her heels and sat down on the couch, putting the box with the cake in it on the living room table. She smiled to Rhodey, who nodded in response. Tony carried Peter towards the kitchen and grabbed four spoons before heading over to the living room. He sat down in between Pepper and Rhodey, with Peter choosing to sit on his lap.

“Let’s see that chocolate cake,” Tony said. Pepper handed him the box and he opened it. Peter’s eyes lit up and Tony handed his son a spoon. “Dig in, buddy.” Peter smiled and scooped a big piece of cake and ate it, frosting smearing on his mouth. Tony and Rhodey chuckled and the five-year-old’s antics and Pepper smiled.

“You gonna let him have all the fun?” Rhodey asked. Tony smirked and passed Rhodey a spoon. He offered a spoon to Pepper and she smiled and took it. Tony smiled as everyone began eating spoonful’s of cake.

Sure, he wasn’t happy with Obadiah. He was sure that his business partner had to best of intentions, but he didn’t like being lied to. And he had been able to get out of the party and come back to where he wanted to be. When the cake was all done, Tony leaned back on the couch, Peter using his chest for a pillow. The five-year-old was slowly drifting off to sleep. Tony didn’t even care that his son’s mouth was covered in chocolate and that it was probably ruining his tux. Right now, he was where he wanted to be.

He kissed the top of Peter’s head, glad that he got to spend his birthday the way he wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	22. Peter's Sixth Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The house looked like it had been hit by a circus. There were balloons everywhere. Red, blue, and green balloons paired into bunches decorated the hallway from the door to the living room. The living room itself had been cleared out, most of the furniture moved the side or hidden. There were streamers, also red, blue, and green lining the entire room, carefully placed by someone who knew what they were doing. There were several tables set up around the room. One had a few perfectly wrapped presents on it, while the other tables had an assortment of chips, sodas, candy, and pizza. From the window of the living room, anyone who looked could see a bounce castle set up. The pool was covered and hidden, as if it was never there. There were more tables with food set up outside.
> 
> It was Peter's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Birthday fluff. Can't believe this fic is almost over. 
> 
> But don't worry, part 2 is coming!

The house looked like it had been hit by a circus. There were balloons everywhere. Red, blue, and green balloons paired into bunches decorated the hallway from the door to the living room. The living room itself had been cleared out, most of the furniture moved the side or hidden. There were streamers, also red, blue, and green lining the entire room, carefully placed by someone who knew what they were doing. There were several tables set up around the room. One had a few perfectly wrapped presents on it, while the other tables had an assortment of chips, sodas, candy, and pizza. From the window of the living room, anyone who looked could see a bounce castle set up. The pool was covered and hidden, as if it was never there. There were more tables with food set up outside.

It was Peter's birthday.

Most of Peter's birthday's in the past had been relaxed affairs. But now that Peter had an entire class to invite to a party, well Tony had gone all out. His whole class had been invited and the day Peter had passed out the invites, he wore the biggest smile. Every day since, Peter had come home with a little card from different people from his class saying they were. Everyone had responded with a yes. So Tony was holding a party for twenty small children, plus their parents. 

Peter had been talking for days about his party. He had never had a birthday part of this size. At the moment, the now six-year-old was bounding around the decorated living room. Happy was trying desperately to wrangle him. Tony chuckled when Happy leaned over to catch his breath. Peter was wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt, with a car on it, and khaki shorts. He had socks on, but no shoes. Tony sighed and walked over to Peter.

"Daddy!" Peter said, catapulting himself onto Tony. Tony caught him and swung him high up into the air. Peter laughed loudly.

"How's the birthday boy doing?" Tony asked. It was clear Peter was already excited about the party. Tony was only slightly worried what would happen when he gave his son sugar.

"When's everyone getting here?" Peter asked. "I want to go in the bouncy house!" Tony chuckled and kissed Peter's forehead. "That wasn't an answer." Tony faked gasped, eliciting a giggle.

"Who taught you to talk like that?" He asked. 

"You!" Tony gasped again. He then used his free hand to tickle Peter. Peter screamed with laughter and tried to wriggle away. Tony stopped, but was grinning widely. "You are so silly, daddy." Tony was about to respond when the door rang. Peter started wriggling excitedly from his dad's arms.

"Uh, uh bambino," Tony said. "You need to go put shoes on those feet first." Peter pouted, but when Tony put him down, he scurried off to his room to find shoes. Happy ended up answering the door. Tony waited in the living room, both for the guests and for his son to return. He saw Happy speaking to someone and he wondered who it could be. It could have easily been Rhodey or Pepper; both liked to check in with Happy when they saw him. But it wasn't either of them.

Instead May and Ben walked into the room, Happy trailing behind them. Tony fought back the frown that came from seeing Ben. Dealing with Ben Parker was never a fun experience. He had invited them out of politeness; he didn't actually think they would've been able to fly out to visit. Most of the time Peter spent with them was in New York. And it usually meant that Tony didn't have to deal with Ben's judgmental comments. He knew Ben didn't like him. He had made that clear six years ago. But Ben didn't even try to be cordial; he was just an ass to Tony. Peter came running into the room, shoes in his hand. 

"Daddy, I need help." Peter said. He then saw Ben and May and smiled. "Aunt May, Uncle Ben!" He ran over to them. May crouched down and hugged Peter.

"You've grown so much since we saw you last time," May said, looking Peter up and down. Tony had brought Peter to New York during his spring break from school. He had definitely grown a little since then, but in Tony's eyes his son was growing every day. Peter hugged her back and then looked at Ben. Ben reached down and ruffled Peter's hair.

"Hey Pete," He said with a smile. Peter smiled back. "What have you got there?"

"My shoes," Peter said, showing the white sneakers with black stripes to Ben. "I've been trying to learn how to tie them, but it's hard." He looked over at Tony and pouted. Tony chuckled.

"Go sit on the couch Peter and we'll go over it again." Peter shuffled over to the couch and sat down, putting the shoes next to him. Tony walked over and sat on the floor in front of him. Peter held his feet up. "You put the shoes on buddy." Peter huffed but put both shoes on his feet. The laces hung down, still untied. "I'll show you on one and then you do the other, okay? It's just like you Legos, follow the steps." He held up the laces. 

When looking into how to teach a child how to tie laces, Tony read about six more parenting books. He hadn't touched a parenting book since potty training, but this was something he needed a little help with. All the books suggested that a song or rhyme would help a child remember how to tie their shoes. So even though May and Ben were watching (Happy had seen him sing this song), he went into it anyways. 

"Over, under, around the tree," Tony said, showing Peter what to do. Peter nodded intently, whispering the words. "Swing past the knothole, pull and see." Peter nodded and stared intently at the undone shoe. Tony put one foot down. Peter pulled his left foot up and put it on the couch. He looked at Tony and Tony smiled encouragingly at his son.

"Over, under, around the tree." Peter said, slowly moving through the first motions of the knot tying. Tony noticed May and Ben moving closer to watch. "Swing past the knothole." Peter's hands moved slowly. Every time he did it, the knot always fell apart. "Pull and see!" He pulled the loop through and let go. 

There on his shoe was a perfectly knotted lace.

"Daddy, I did it!" Peter shouted. He held his arms out and linked them around Tony's neck. Tony pulled him tightly and hugged him close.

"Good job bambino," He whispered, just loud enough for Peter to hear. He let go and Peter got off the couch. "Go show Happy." Peter nodded and ran towards Happy, who was waiting by the door. Tony stood up and noticed the impressed look on May's face. Ben, a master of a poker face, didn't look impressed or amused at all. Tony walked past them to the door, just as Rhodey walked in.

"Uncle Rhodey!" Peter said excitedly. "I tied my shoes!" Tony noticed Rhodey glance at him before kneeling down. 

"Well look and you go little man," Rhodey said. "Now you want to show me where the presents go." Peter nodded and ran towards the present table, Rhodey following him.

"Thanks for coming," Tony said, walking up to Rhodey.

"You think I wouldn't be here for this?" Rhodey said. "You've never thrown a birthday party like this. I am both impressed and entertained." Tony rolled his eyes and chuckled. Sure, he might have gone all out. But it was worth. Everything was worth it when Peter was involved. Rhodey smirked and patted Tony on the shoulder. He wasn’t sure Tony was actually ready for what went into a kid’s birthday party. But he was certainly ready to watch.

* * *

About an hour later, the living room was filled with people. Kids from Peter’s classroom were running around the room. Tony could see Happy trying to wrangle a few and keep them away from expensive pieces. From the red cheeks, he could tell Happy was frustrated and a little exhausted. He tried not to chuckle at it. He looked around for his own son. He spotted Peter in the bounce house with the same little redhead boy he had met on his first day of school.

Peter and Liam were good friends, but usually only at school. Peter had never asked Tony about inviting anyone, even Liam over. Tony had broached the subject a few times and Peter had just shaken his head. He wondered if Peter thought he wasn’t allowed to have friends over. Tony just hoped this party helped his son realize he could have anyone over.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” Tony turned to see a couple approaching him. The male was taller than him and a had a pale, freckled face. He had bright red hair like Liam and a similar nose. He wore a green polo and dress slacks. The woman next to him had her arm wrapped around his. She had a short blonde bob, a thin face, and a small, button nose. She had blue eyes, just like Liam. She was wearing a white sun dress and a green cardigan.

“Yes, hello.” Tony said, smiling confidently.

“Bill Cunningham,” The man said. “Our son Liam is quite good friends with your son Peter.” Tony nodded, glancing over at the two children, who were leaving the bounce house and joining a game with some of the other kids. “This is my wife Megan.” The woman smiled politely.

“Pleasure to meet you both,” Tony said. “And thank you for coming and bringing Liam. I’m sure my son appreciates it.” Megan glanced over at the children and Tony followed her gaze. Liam didn’t seem to notice, but Peter did. Peter waved at his dad and Tony smiled. He then ran back to where the other kids were.

“Such a sweet boy,” Megan said. “Liam talks all the time about what they play at school and how Peter always lets him pick first. Amazing really.” Tony’s smile faltered a little.

“And why is that?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. Megan didn’t seem to notice the change in his tone. If anything, she was oblivious to it.

“Well children raised by nannies tend to be a little, what’s the right word Bill?” Megan turned towards her husband.

“Spoiled,” Bill said. “Of course there’s nothing wrong with a nanny. We had one for Liam the minute he was born. And we have one at home right now with our daughter. Busy business-folk like us need all the help we can get.” Tony pursed his lips and leaned back on his heels. It didn’t sit right that they just thought he dumped his son on a nanny. What kind of person did that?

The Cunningham’s did. His own parents did. Perhaps that was why he had been so averse to it. He had tried it. Mrs. Moscowitz was probably the nicest woman on planet Earth; she still called to check in on Peter every so often. But when Tony had thought about leaving his son with someone else, well he couldn’t do that. Mary had already left Peter, how could he?

“Mr. Stark,” He was saved from responding by Pepper, who approached him and the couple. She smiled politely at the two other people before turning to Tony. “I was wondering if I could borrow you for a second to deal with the cake?” Tony knew there wasn’t an issue with the cake, but he appreciated the excuse to leave the conversation.

“Of course,” Tony said. He turned to the couple and smiled politely. “If you’ll excuse me. And enjoy yourself. Didn’t hire that nanny for nothing.” The smile on Liam’s parents’ faces faltered, but Tony didn’t stick around long, following Pepper towards the kitchen.

“I heard what they said,” Pepper said quietly, standing next to him by the counter. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a simple blouse and jeans. He was glad to have her there, especially after the interaction with the Cunningham’s. “They don’t know you Tony. They’ve never seen you with Peter.”

“But if they think that,” Tony began. “Then so do other people.”

“Who cares what other people think?” Pepper asked. “You’re Tony Stark. When have you ever cared about people’s opinions of you?”

“When it has to do with my son,” Tony said, resting his hands on the counter. “People can say whatever they want about me. But when it comes to Peter.” He sighed. “I draw the line at that.” Pepper sighed and patted Tony on the arm.

Tony had never expressed his concern at what it meant for Peter to be a Stark. He had nipped a lot it in the bud with the press conference he held when Peter was nine months old. For what he knew, no newspaper outlet dared post about Peter Stark. So made mention to him when they wrote about Tony, but usually throwaway lines that couldn’t get them in trouble. Christine Everheart, the reporter that had thrown herself at Tony, loved throwing digs at Tony and found some way to call him a bad father without actually saying it. She was a formidable woman who was clearly not going to stop unless she got a date with Tony. Which was never going to happen.

But Peter was turning six and soon he’d be old enough for the press to consider him old enough to write about. And that worried about Tony. He had a checkered past and he didn’t want that being used against his son. He certainly didn’t want people comparing his son to him. Peter was going to be better than Tony. He was sure of that.

“Did I make the right choice?” Tony asked sadly. He watched as Peter ran up to May and Ben. Ben picked him up and held him in his arms. May smiled and pressed kisses to his cheek, making the small child giggle. They looked like a beautiful, happy family. And they could have been. Mary had given him a choice; take Peter or let her in-laws take him. Watching them interact with Peter showed Tony that they would have made great surrogate parents to Peter, and he could admit that even though he hated Ben. Pepper followed his eyes. She let out a breath that sounded like an oh. Tony looked down at his feet, ashamed to even think it.

“Daddy!” He looked up. Peter had gotten down from Ben’s arms and was running over to him. He grabbed onto Tony’s legs and tugged on his jeans. Tony smiled a little and picked him up. “Daddy, why are you sad?”

“I’m not bambino,” Tony said. “I just can’t believe how big you’re getting.” Peter smiled and wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck and hugged. Tony pressed his face against his son’s hair and breathed out any anxious feeling he was holding onto. How had he made something so wonderful and kind? How had he, a rotten, selfish, drunk, created a perfect little human?

Peter pulled away and looked up at Tony, with his doe eyes. Those same doe eyes that had seeped into Tony’s heart the minute he had laid eyes on them. He loved his son with every fiber of his being.

“Ready for cake, bambino?” Tony asked. Peter nodded excitedly. Tony put him down and he ran towards the living room, the crowd gathering.

“Still asking that question?” Pepper asked. Tony glanced at her. Yes, he had made a lot of mistakes in his life. But raising Peter was not one of them.

“Not a chance,” Tony said. Pepper smiled. “Now let’s go celebrate my son’s birthday.” The two headed towards the living room. As the cake was brought out, Tony stood behind his son, a huge grin on his face. Maybe people like the Cunningham’s would think the wrong thing about him. Maybe people would expect Tony Stark to be exactly like his father or like every other self-obsessed rich guy in the world. But his own son looked at him like he was the greatest thing in the world, even if he wasn’t always that.

As Peter blew out the candles, he looked up at Tony and smiled. Tony crouched down, so he was at eye-level with his son. The grin was still on his face.

“Happy birthday bambino,” Tony said, just loud enough for him to hear. “I love you.”

“I love you too daddy.”

And for a birthday party, things had turned out pretty perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr?
> 
> http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	23. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi Mr. Stark,” The voice of Peter’s first grade teacher, Ms. Tate came through. She seemed like a lovely young woman. Tony hadn't had any issues with her, but then again he had a good kid. “I apologize for calling you during your work hours, but I was hoping you could come down to the school. We’ve had a bit of an incident.” Tony’s eyes widened a little, something Pepper noticed.

Tony sat in his office, staring out the window. Autumn in Malibu was always an interesting time. One day if could be hot and sunny and the next, breezy with the right amount of shade. The leaves had already changed, the colors of orange, red, yellow, and some leftover green poking over the hills beyond his office window. He sighed and spun his chair around to face his desk.

His desk was covered in a few picture frames. All of them had Peter in them. Some were just of his son, like picture he kept of Peter was he was a newborn. Others were of him and Peter, like the one from his sixth birthday just a few months ago. All of them made him smile. But his son had that effect on him. The door cracked open and Pepper entered.

“Peter’s teacher is on line one,” She said, closing the door behind her. Tony sat up a little straighter and reached for the phone. The only other time Peter’s school had called him in the middle of the day was when Peter had gotten sick.

“Tony Stark,” He said, answering the call.

“Hi Mr. Stark,” The voice of Peter’s first grade teacher, Ms. Tate came through. She seemed like a lovely young woman. Tony hadn't had any issues with her, but then again he had a good kid. “I apologize for calling you during your work hours, but I was hoping you could come down to the school. We’ve had a bit of an incident.” Tony’s eyes widened a little, something Pepper noticed.

“Uh yeah, of course,” Tony said. “I can be there in ten minutes.”

“Thank you Mr. Stark.” The call ended and Tony hung up the phone. He quickly stood up and grabbed his phone.

“Problem at school,” Tony said. “Cancel any calls or meetings for the rest of the day.” Pepper nodded. He then quickly left the room. He was glad he didn’t pass Obadiah on the way out; it made for a much swifter exit.

“Where we heading boss?” Happy asked, catching up to Tony.

“Peter’s school,” Tony said. “Gotta deal with an issue.” They got in the car and Tony began to drive, the whole time worried about his son.

* * *

Tony got to Peter’s school in record time. Something in Ms. Tate’s voice worried him past normal speeding into frantic speeding. Even Happy seemed a little nauseous by the time the car stopped. Tony told Happy to wait by the car and quickly entered the building. As he was leaving the main office, he spotted the Cunningham’s heading towards the exit. Megan had a deep frown on her face and Bill looked dissatisfied. Liam was wearing his Halloween costume. Peter had excitedly told him that he and Liam were going to both be pirates. Liam was wearing his costume, but his satchel where a plastic sword should have gone was empty.

Megan noticed Tony and huffed, marching Liam out of the building. Bill went to say something to Tony but thought better of it and left the building as well. Noting how odd the behavior was, Tony made his way to the classroom. Ms. Tate’s room was mostly empty, save for the petite brunette first grade teacher and his son. Tony knocked on the door and entered.

The classroom had small desks, twenty in all, and blue plastic chairs at each one. Peter was sitting at his desk, his head hung low. Ms. Tate, who was sitting on a stool next to Peter’s desk, turned her head and saw Tony walk in. She smiled kindly and turned back to Peter.

“Look who's here Peter,” She said gently. Peter looked up and saw Tony. His eyes were red and full of tears. Before Tony could even react, Peter ran across the room to his father. Tony lifted him up and the six-year-old buried his face in Tony’s shoulder, tears falling freely. Tony held him closely, gently rocking him like he had when Peter was a baby. Ms. Tate just watched, not saying anything. Finally, Peter stopped crying. He lifted his face and looked at Tony.

“I wanna go home, daddy,” Peter said sadly, his eyes still brimmed with tears. Tony frowned but kissed his son’s head.

“Let me just talk to Ms. Tate okay?” Tony put Peter down and Peter held on tightly to his leg. Ms. Tate walked over to them and sighed sadly.

“Peter,” She said, crouching down to the boy’s height. “Do you want to tell you dad what you told me?” Peter shook his head and just clutched onto Tony’s legs tighter. Ms. Tate nodded and stood up, straightening out her long blue dress. “Peter and Liam were playing on the playground after the Halloween parade. They were playing pirates, just like their costumes. Peter asked Liam if he could be the captain and picked up Liam’s sword.” Tony sighed. Peter had wanted a sword with his costume but Tony had convinced him against it, since he was wearing it to school. Peter had agreed and said he could be a great pirate without a sword.

“Liam always picks what we do,” Peter said sadly. Tony glanced down at his son. “He always picks first and I just wanted to be the captain this time.” Tony hated seeing how sad his son was. Ms. Tate sighed sadly and continued.

“A few kids saw the interaction,” Ms. Tate said. “They said Liam grabbed the sword from Peter and shouted at him. When Peter asked again, Liam hit Peter with the sword.” Tony worriedly glanced down at his son. Peter looked at up him and sure enough, there was a scratch below his eye. Tony sucked back every bit of anger bubbling in him.

“I see,” Tony said. He bent down and looked Peter in the eye. “Go get your stuff buddy, okay?” Peter nodded and let go of Tony’s legs. When he walked away, Tony stood up quickly. “What is being done to rectify the situation?”

“The principal already knows,” Ms. Tate said. “And our school does not tolerate that kind of violence. The Cunningham’s have been asked to find a new school for Liam.” Tony nodded. He was glad the troublemaking kid was gone. “I’m concerned for Peter. He was very close with Liam and he’s taking this situation harder than he should.” She sighed and looked at Peter, who was packing his bag. “He thinks it’s his fault.” Tony bit back an angry growl and let out a stressed breath.

“I’ll talk with him,” Tony said. “I’m going to take him home now. Thank you Ms. Tate.”

“Of course,” Peter came scurrying over, his backpack in one hand. Tony took the backpack and shouldered it. Peter slipped his small hand in Tony’s. “I’ll see you on Monday Peter.” Peter nodded, a sad look on his face. Tony attempted a polite smile and then walked out of the room, guiding Peter. He moved quickly through the school, Peter holding tightly on to his hand. When he reached the parking lot, Happy was waiting by the car. He tossed Happy the keys and helped Peter into the back before sitting next to his son. He buckled Peter in and then sat right next to him. Peter pressed his face into his dad’s side and based on the shaking of his body, he was pretty sure Peter was crying again. Happy started to drive, the school melting away in the background. Tony just held him close the whole ride home, trying desperately to comfort his son.

* * *

It was worse than Ms. Tate suggested. When he got home, Peter ran into his room and almost ripped the costume apart trying to change out of it. He started sobbing when he couldn’t get it off and Tony had to try and calm him while also getting the costume off him. Once that was done and Peter was wearing regular clothes, the six-year-old didn’t want to talk about what happened. He just sat on his bed miserably. Tony was at a loss of what to do.

Even worse, his kid didn’t want to go trick or treating.

Peter had been looking forward to Halloween for weeks. The two pirates’ idea for him and Liam had been so exciting to him. Now, Peter didn’t even want to leave his room. Tony stood outside Peter’s door, trying to come up with an idea to coax him out. Peter was sitting on his bed hugging Platy closely and trying to stop himself from crying again. Tony was about to go in with a new idea when his cell phone started ringing. He looked at it and nearly growled when he saw Bill Cunningham’s number.

They had exchanged numbers after Peter’s birthday party. He thought the Cunningham’s were snobs, but Peter was friends with Liam and play dates were important for children. He walked down the hallway and into the living room.

“To what do I owe the pleasure,” Tony said, his voice dripping with venom.

“Your child is a horrendous influence,” Bill Cunningham said. Tony growled, already wondering how he could ruin this man’s life. “My son has been expelled from the top private elementary school in Malibu because of your son. I should have known better than to let my child be friends with a Stark.”

“You listen here you, ignorant waste of air,” Tony said. “My son is a wonderful kid who had the decency to be friends with your son. My son is a wonderful little boy who had no right to be hurt by your child’s selfish actions. If anyone is to blame here, it’s you. Maybe if you spent more time raising your child and not pawning him off on some nanny, he would have turned out better. And if you so dare try this number again or even utter my son’s name again, I will make your life a living hell.” He then ended the call before Bill Cunningham had a chance to speak. Tony growled again, gripping the cell phone tightly in his hand. All he wanted was to point one of Stark Industries many weapons at Bill Cunningham’s head.

“Daddy?” He turned around suddenly. Peter was standing in the hallway, clutching Platy. He had a scared look on his face. Tony’s grip loosened and he sighed. He sat down on the couch, putting the phone down on the table. He heard the sound of little feet and then Peter was suddenly on the couch next to Tony. Tony leaned back on the couch and Peter climbed into his lap. He was getting bigger, but he still would try and sit on Tony’s lap. He didn’t mind. He wanted his son to be small forever. With everything happening today, he couldn’t even imagine his son any older.

“Did you hear that bambino?” Tony asked gently. Peter nodded. Tony pulled him closer to him. Peter nuzzled himself against his chest, playing with the buttons on Tony’s shirt. “I’m sorry you heard that. I hope I didn’t scare you. I was just very mad.”

“Was that Liam’s dad on the phone?” Peter asked and Tony nodded. “He didn’t sound very nice.”

“He wasn’t,” Tony said honestly. “And not nice people tend to raise not nice children.” Peter nodded. There was a thought bubbling up behind the boy’s eyes.

“I didn’t understand why Liam was so mean to me,” Peter said quietly. “I thought he was my friend. I thought I had done something to make him mad at me.”

“Oh bambino,” Tony said, pressing a kiss into Peter’s hair. He heard Peter sniffle and looked down at his son. It hurt Tony to see his son so sad, especially when it seemed like he couldn’t do anything to make him feel better.” Peter sniffled again and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

“But his dad was mean to you,” Peter said. “And you didn’t do anything wrong. So maybe, I didn’t do something to make him mad. Maybe Liam is just a mad person.” He looked up at Tony. “I don’t need a friend like that, right daddy?” Tony felt his eyes watering just looking at his son. God, his kid could be so smart sometimes. He hugged Peter closely.

“No bambino, you don’t.” Peter nodded. He wiped his eyes and then wiped a few stray tears from Peter’s eyes. “Now I have an idea. How about I have Happy go out and buy us big bags of candy and we can stay in and watch movies all night?” And for the first time, in what felt like hours, Peter smiled.

“Okay daddy,” Tony breathed out a sigh of relief and ran his hand through his son’s hair. For the rest of the night, there was no talk of the Cunningham’s and their spoiled, rotten ways. There was no talk of what would happen on Monday or how Peter might go about making new friends.

For the rest of the night, there was just the two Stark boys, munching on candy, until they both fell asleep from too much sugar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? 
> 
> http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	24. Surgery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sir," JARVIS called out, getting his attention. "It seems Peter is awake and in distress." The tool dropped out of Tony's hand, his decision being made for him. He exited the workshop and raced up the stairs, making it to Peter's room in no time. He gasped a little when he reached Peter's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! *screams in anxiety*

Tony sat in the workshop tinkering away. He glanced at the clock, noting that it was close to 2 AM. He sighed and considered his options. He could make a cup of coffee and keep tinkering or he could check on Peter and then try and sleep. Even with a six-year-old on a normal school schedule, Tony still didn't sleep much. His mind was constantly running and he still felt he did his best work in the dead of night. 

"Sir," JARVIS called out, getting his attention. "It seems Peter is awake and in distress." The tool dropped out of Tony's hand, his decision being made for him. He exited the workshop and raced up the stairs, making it to Peter's room in no time. He gasped a little when he reached Peter's room.

Peter was sitting up in bed, crying. He was rubbing his ear, trying to reduce the pressure. He was breathing hard, the sound not being masked by the humidifier in his room. Peter had been having trouble sleeping lately. Every time he tried to sleep, he would complain that his ears hurt, like they were on a plane. If he could sleep, he would wake up because he was having trouble breathing. Tony had bought the humidifier hoping it would help, clearly it wasn't.

"Bambino," Tony said, crossing to his son. He sat down on the bed and Peter ducked his head under Tony's arm.

"It hurts daddy," He cried. "It hurts so bad." Tony held Peter closely, trying to soothe him. Peter cried, tears staining into Tony's shirt. If he was in the workshop, Peter would comment on the smell of oil on him. But he was so upset that he didn't make a single remark about it. Tony pressed his hand against Peter's forehead, noting that his son did feel a little warm.

"JARVIS, what's Peter's temperature?" Peter looked up at him and Tony wiped away a few of the tears.

"99.8 degrees sir," Tony sighed, knowing what a slightly elevated temperature and pain in Peter's ears meant. "It seems Peter is exhibiting the signs of another ear infection." Peter whined and ducked his head back against Tony's chest. 

"That's the fifth one this winter," Tony said to himself. He was concerned to say the least. That many ear infections was not normal. Not to mention, the last set of antibiotics hadn't worked at first because Peter's body was too used to them. It had taken longer for the ear infection to heal up because they had to switch to a different antibiotic.

Tony had been researching ear infections a lot. Peter had had his first ear infection at nine months. Then, another one by the time he was two. There were two more between the ages of three and four. By the time he was five, Peter had already had more ear infections than he did years of life. This year had been particularly bad, now that they had reached five in the span of three months. Something was going to have to be done.  

"JARVIS, find me the best ENT in Malibu," JARVIS began listing off the credentials of a doctor about fifteen minutes away. "Book us an appointment for first thing tomorrow morning." 

"Is the doctor going to make my ear stop hurting?" Peter asked, his voice so small. Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss into his son's hair. 

"I hope so bambino," Tony said. He leaned back against the pillows and his son instinctively snuggled closer. Tony ran his fingers through his son's hair, hoping to soothe him to sleep. As he did, his mind was running through all the possibilities of what could happen at the doctor's office.

* * *

Tony sat in the doctor's office, nervously tapping his foot. Peter was next to him, a book on his lap. He wasn't reading it, instead watching Tony's foot move up and down. They had a 9:15 appointment, but the doctor was already running behind schedule. Tony had called the school saying that Peter was going to be absent and would send him with a note the next day.

Peter hadn't slept much after Tony came up to his room. He would doze off and then suddenly wake with pain in his ear or a dry throat from having to sleep with his mouth open. Tony had read that ear infections and their probable cause led to difficulty breathing, especially when sleeping. It was why he had bought the humidifier. But it had clearly not worked. Peter, much like Tony, looked exhausted from the lack of sleep. He closed the book that he wasn't reading and leaned his head against his father's arm. Tony ran a hand through his son's hair and Peter's eyes fluttered closed. He noticed the woman at the desk, a young woman no older than twenty-five, staring at their interaction. She noticed Tony's eyes on her and she ducked her head down in embarrassment. 

"Peter Stark?" Peter's eyes opened and he looked at Tony. Tony stood up and Peter took his hand, using the other one to rub at his eyes. The nurse, a tall woman with a short, black bob, smiled at them. "Right this way." Tony started walking, Peter following along, holding tightly on o Tony's hand. When they reached the room, Peter climbed on to the table, not even using the step stool. Tony would have chuckled at his son's behavior, if he wasn't so worried. 

"I'm just going to check you for a few things, okay Peter?" The nurse asked. Peter nodded. She ran through a quick litany of tests; blood pressure, temperature, checking his ears and throat, and made a few notes. "The doctor will be in shortly." Tony nodded and the nurse left the room.

"Daddy, why are we here?" Peter asked. Tony walked over to his son. He could tell Peter didn't want to be there. The six-year-old kept looking around the room, almost displeased by the presence of everything there.  

"Well you're not feeling well bambino," Tony said. "So we need the doctor to tell us why." Peter nodded, kicking his feet back and forth on the table. The paper underneath him crinkled each time he did it. 

"Will the doctor make all of my ear infections go away?" Peter asked. Tony sighed and ruffled his son's hair. "That's not an answer daddy."

"I know," Tony said. "But I don't have answer to that question." Peter huffed and crossed his arms. 

"But you're the smartest person I know daddy," Peter said. "You should be able to tell me if they'll go away for good." Tony leaned down so he was at Peter's eye level. It warmed his heart a little for Peter to think that, but what he did was far different than what the doctor did.

"Buddy, I'm glad you think that," Tony said. "But this is one thing we need the doctor for, okay?" Peter nodded, a slight pout on his face. Tony pressed a kiss onto Peter's cheek and then tickled the small boy's side, eliciting a giggle. "There's my favorite sound in the world." Tony straightened up. The door opened and the doctor walked in.

The doctor was a tall, burly man. He had thinning black hair that was combed over to the right side. He had on glasses that were perched precariously on his wide nose. He wore a white lab coat over a blue button-up shirt. His gray slacks hung down, as if they fit awkwardly in certain places, until they hit his brown dress shoes

"Good morning, my name is Dr. Shapiro," He said with a smile. He put a manila file down on the counter and washed his hands. Tony smiled politely and glanced at Peter. Peter had a slightly nervous look on his face, almost as if he was scared of the man. Dr. Shapiro wiped his hands clean and turned towards both of them. 

"Well who's this strong young fellow?" He asked, approaching Peter. Peter glanced at Tony, who nodded.

"I'm Peter," He said. Dr. Shapiro smiled and Tony noticed Peter visibly relax. 

"Well it's very nice to meet you Peter," Dr. Shapiro said. "Could you or your dad tell me what seems to be the problem."

"My ear gets infected, a lot." Peter said. "Daddy says this is my fifth ear infection just this winter. And my ear really hurts. And when my ear really hurts, I can't sleep." Dr. Shapiro nodded and glanced at Tony.

"My son summed it up pretty well," Tony said. "He's had ear infections almost every year since he was nine months old. Some years it's been multiple, but never this many." The doctor nodded and began to check Peter's ears. He frowned and checked them again. He then checked Peter's nose, which the six-year-old did not like and frowned the whole time. He then walked back over to the folder and read through what was written on them. He sighed and Tony started to feel nervous.

"Mr. Stark, your son's ear infections are being caused by an issue with his adenoids," Dr. Shapiro began. "His adenoids are severely enlarged and probably have been for some time."

"What's the best course of action?" Tony asked. "Antibiotics?" Dr. Shapiro sighed. His sigh concerned Tony. What else could fix this?

"Surgery is the best option," Dr. Shapiro said. "The ear infections won't go away unless we remove the adenoids." Tony's eyes widened. He glanced down at his son, his tiny, adorable little son. Peter was six years old. Was surgery really the only option. "I realize this can be a very difficult decision. But if we don't remove the adenoids, then Peter will keep having ear infections and they will get worse. They could even lead to hearing loss in a few years." Tony gulped. He didn't want his son to in pain. But he also didn't know if surgery really was the right option. 

"Daddy?" Peter reached out and tugged on Tony's arm. Tony leaned down and looked his son in the eyes. Peter didn't look scared; if anything he seemed confused. "What's a surgery?"

"The doctor is saying that we need take out something inside of your body," Tony said. "So they have to put you to sleep so they can do that." Peter nodded and looked at Dr. Shapiro. 

"Will it make my ears stop hurting?" He asked. Tony nodded. "Will the surgery hurt?" Tony glanced at Dr. Shapiro, who shook his head. Peter let go of Tony's arm and pushed his finger against the outside of his ear, something he always did when it hurt. He whined a little. "I don't want my ears to hurt anymore daddy." Tony sighed and kissed Peter's forehead. He then stood up straight.

"How soon can we schedule this?"

* * *

A few days later, Tony stood in a hospital room. Peter was lying on the bed wearing a hospital gown. He looked so small on the bed. His arm was hooked up to an IV, something that Peter didn't seem to like, as he kept looking at it like it was hurting him. Tony had been agonizing over the surgery all week. Peter's ear infection had cleared up, which meant his son was in less pain. But Tony was still unsure about the surgery. Wasn't his son too young for any of that?

As Peter stared at the IV, Tony watched his son. His little brown curls hung all over his head, reminding Tony that he probably needed to take his son for a haircut. Pepper constantly told him that Peter needed a haircut every six months or his hair would go out of control. But Tony loved the little curls on Peter's head. He had curls like that when he was younger. He remembered his father sneering at his hair and demanding he do something about it. Tony had spent so much of his life combing his hair back that it hardly curled anymore. He didn't want to take that away from his own son. 

It sometimes frustrated Tony how cold his father had been. Howard Stark had done everything he could to not be there for Tony. He belittled his inventions, saying he should have done better. There was no 'great job' or 'good work', just do better and be better. It made Tony sick to think that he came from such ugly words. His mother had been kind and soft to him, but she had never overpowered Howard. She was there for a hug or too after the demoralizing words, but she never stopped him. She never told Howard that he was wrong. She was every part the perfect wife, when she should've been the perfect mother.

Maybe Tony was overcompensating with his own son. His dad had done a lot more damage than Tony had realized. Sure, he knew Howard Stark was a bastard. But he didn't realize how much that had hurt him until he held Peter for the first time. Maybe that was why Rhodey was always telling him to go to therapy. And as much as he loved his mother, Maria wasn't perfect either. She had loved him, but never stood up for him. She could've done more for him. And then there was Mary, who hadn't wanted to be a mother. And now that she was gone, Peter didn't have a mother. Tony needed to be the best for his son because that was his job. 

"Daddy?" Tony was brought out of his thoughts by his son's voice. Peter sounded sleepy, which wasn't surprising. The nurse had given him a child's size dose of anesthesia. His eyes were drooping just slightly.

"Yeah bambino?" Tony said, walking over to his son. 

"Are you gonna be here when it's all over?" Peter asked. Tony pulled up a chair so he was sitting right by the head of the bed. He reached over and brushed some of the curls off Peter's forehead. The action seemed to soothe Peter a little. He looked at Tony, his big brown eyes heavy with sleep.

"Always bambino," Tony said. "Always." Peter smiled. Tony kept running his hand through his son's hair. Eventually, Peter's eyes drifted shut and he was asleep. Tony stared at his sleeping son. He looked so peaceful. He just watched his son, until the nurse came in. He moved out of her way as she began to move Peter's bed. He followed her, for as long he could, until he was allowed to anymore. He stared at the swinging doors, watching as the bed was wheeled away from him. 

"Deep breaths man," He turned around. Rhodey and Pepper were behind them. When had they gotten there? He decided to deal with that another time. Rhodey stepped forward and hugged Tony. "I get that it's just a minor surgery, but I know it's a big deal for you." Tony chuckled a little and hugged his friend back.

"Thank you for being here," Tony said, pulling away. He glanced at Pepper, who smiled kindly at him. "Both of you."

"What are godparents for?" Pepper asked, with a slight shrug. "Now come on. The nurse said it would be about a half hour and if I know you, you haven't eaten." Tony rolled his eyes but smiled slightly. He let Pepper and Rhodey guide him away from the doors towards the hospital cafeteria. He knew Pepper and Rhodey both had the best of intentions and he was glad he had them there. He was sure he would've been a wreck if they hadn't shown up. Pepper continued gently guiding him, her hand on his elbow. Rhodey had his hand on Tony's shoulder. He smiled.

Maybe he didn't have the most conventional family, but he had a family nonetheless.

* * *

Two hours later, Tony sat in the same hospital room. Peter's surgery had been a success and Dr. Shapiro said his ear infections would be all but nonexistent. Not to mention, he'd have an easier time breathing while he slept. His son was still asleep in the bed, tiny little drops of blood under his nose. Tony had wanted to wipe it away, but the nurse had stopped him. But then she had disappeared and Tony was tempted to do something about it.

Before he could grab a tissue to wipe it away, Peter made a tiny noise. Tony scooted closer to the bed as Peter's eyes opened. Tony couldn't help but smile seeing those doe eyes. 

"Hey bambino," Tony said, reaching over to brush his son's hair off his forehead. Peter wiped at his nose, staring at the little stream of blood.

"Gross," He said sleepily. Tony chuckled and wiped his son's nose with a tissue. "Is the surgery all done, daddy?" Tony nodded and Peter smiled sleepily.

"Yeah it is Peter," Tony said gently. "So you just rest, okay? I'm gonna stay right here with you." Peter nodded, his eyes drifting shut again. "I love you buddy."

"Love you too, daddy." Peter mumbled sleepily. Tony smiled, continuing to gently brush his son's hair, knowing it soothed the boy. He didn't realize Pepper and Rhodey were watching him from the door, both smiling at Tony's actions. He didn't notice the nurse when she came back in to check on his son. 

He just watched Peter, glad that his son was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr?
> 
> http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


	25. Only Three Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Buddy this isn't up for negotiation," Tony said. "Daddy and Uncle Rhodey have to go on a trip, so Aunt May and Uncle Ben are coming here to stay with you for a few days." Peter huffed and stomped his foot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness! The last chapter? Thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos, and left comments. I have appreciated them so much.

"I don't want you to go." Peter stood in front of Tony, his arms across his chest, a frown firmly on his face. Tony sat on his bed, a sigh escaping from his lips. Peter had been saying that over and over for the last few days. It was spring now. Peter should have been at school. But because Tony was leaving for a trip the next day, he wanted to spend time with his son. 

"Buddy this isn't up for negotiation," Tony said. "Daddy and Uncle Rhodey have to go on a trip, so Aunt May and Uncle Ben are coming here to stay with you for a few days." Peter huffed and stomped his foot.

"No," Peter said, his frown only deepening. Tony sighed and stood up. He had to finish packing Peter as they left the next day. Peter stared at him angrily as Tony moved about the room, his bags. "I don't like it when you go away." Tony turned around to face his son. He crouched down so he was at Peter's eye level.

"I don't like to do it either bambino," Tony said. "But sometimes, we all have to do things we don't like. And it's only for a few days." Peter's arms dropped and his shoulders slumped. His frown changed from anger to sadness.

"But I'll miss you," He said quietly. Tony scooped Peter up and held him closely. Even though his son was only a few months away from being seven, he was still small enough for Tony to carry. Peter wrapped his arms around Tony's neck and buried his head in the crook between Tony's neck and shoulder. 

"It's just a few days," Tony said gently. "And besides, your Aunt May told me she has a lot of fun plans for while they're here. She wants to take you to an amusement park, and the movies, and even a baseball game."

"Aunt May hates baseball," Peter said. "Uncle Ben likes the Mets, but he says they're really really bad." Tony chuckled and kissed his son's head. He put Peter down and continued packing his son up.

"You love spending time with your aunt and uncle," Tony said. "And they love you." Peter nodded, a small little sigh running through his body. 

"Why doesn't Uncle Ben like you?" Peter asked suddenly. Tony sputtered a little, surprised by his question. He knew Ben didn't like him and Ben obviously knew that. But how did Peter pick up on that? "He never smiles at you and he always calls you by our last name. Why doesn't he like you?" Tony sighed. "Am I asking another adult question?"

Peter was a very inquisitive child. He was Tony's son after all. He noticed a lot of things and asked a lot of questions. Ms. Tate, in her last report card for Peter, had talked about how wonderful all of Peter's questions were and how great his inquisitor skills were. She also talked about how inquisitive he was especially during science experiments (which made Tony beam with pride). But the one downside to his skills were when he asked questions at the wrong time. He had once asked Tony why he built weapons if they could hurt people (Tony didn't have a good answer for that because money was not a good answer to that kind of question). So Tony had started telling Peter if his questions were "adult" questions, meaning he could ask his father that when he was an adult. 

Because even though Tony was a genius, there were some things he just didn't know how to answer. 

"No it's okay buddy," Tony said. "Let's go get a snack." They started walking out of Peter's room. "You know how we talk about how not everyone is going to like us?" Peter nodded. "And sometimes there's nothing we can do about it?" Peter nodded again as they reached the kitchen. Peter climbed onto one of the stools and Tony went to the cabinet. He grabbed a bag of goldfish and put them down on the counter in front of Peter. Tony then handed Peter a bowl and Peter poured goldfish out into them, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth, which made Tony smirk. He took the half-empty bag back and put it away. 

"But Uncle Ben's not just a random person," Peter said. "He can't dislike you because you're my daddy. You're the best." Tony took a handful of the snack and popped them into his mouth. Peter copied, but with a smaller handful. Tony gave his son a look and Peter giggled with his mouth full of goldfish. 

"Your Uncle Ben and I are two different people," Tony said. "But we both love you, you know that right?" Peter nodded. "Good. Now let's go watch a movie." Peter smiled and ran towards the living room. Tony picked up the bowl and followed him. He put the bowl down on the table and sat down. Peter snuggled closer to him. He claimed he was getting too old to sit in Tony's lap (which Tony didn't agree with because Peter would always be his baby), but he would still sit right next to Tony, using his side as a pillow. 

Tony smiled down at Peter as the movie played, happy to spend some time with his son before his big trip.

* * *

Tony sat in his workshop tinkering on a car. Peter was sitting at the table near the small kitchen he had in the workshop, building a Lego set. They had watched movies all night until Peter had fallen asleep. Rhodey had called him, pissed that he missed some event where he was getting an award, but he was sure Obie had been there to accept it anyways. Besides, he had wanted to spend the evening with his son.

"Ms. Potts is here, sir." JARVIS said. Tony frowned. Pepper being there meant he had to leave soon. He glanced at Peter, who was busy assembling, a smile on his face. He didn't respond, focusing on the engine instead. The music was playing, something that kept him focused but was appropriate for Peter's ears, so he couldn't hear the familiar clicking of Pepper's heels until it was too late. The music died down and he sighed.

"Hi Pepper!" Peter called from his side of the workshop. Pepper smiled at the boy and walked over to Tony. Peter watched as the two spoke. They were across the room, so he couldn't really hear. Not that he was supposed to hear what they were talking about. He noticed his dad walk away from Pepper and moved towards where his coffee machine was. Pepper seemed annoyed with Tony, who wasn't really responding to her. 

"I don't like it when you have plans," Tony said, loud enough for Peter to hear.

"I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday," Pepper said. Tony tried to hide his expression, realizing he had forgotten Pepper's birthday. He glanced at Peter, who got off his seat and ran over to Pepper.

"Happy birthday Pepper!" Peter said excitedly, hugging his godmother. Pepper smiled and crouched down, pressing a kiss to Peter's cheek.

"Thank you sweetie," She said. "Now go help your daddy get his stuff so he can get out of here. It can be your birthday present to me." Peter nodded and took off out of the lab, leaving his Legos unassembled. He'd finish them when he got home. He almost ran into Happy when he reached the foyer.

"Slow down there big guy," Happy said, dodging out of Peter's way. Peter smiled and hugged Happy's leg.

"Pepper sent me to help!" Peter said with a smile. Happy chuckled and reached down to ruffle Peter's hair.

"Everything's all packed." Happy said. "Now go get your shoes on so we can head to the airport." Peter nodded. He ran off to his room. He was smiling for everyone, but he wasn't happy. The idea of his dad going away for multiple days made him sad. He hated it, in fact. But he didn't want anyone else to know that, especially not Pepper since it was her birthday. He pulled his shoes on and made quick work of the laces.

"JARVIS," Peter said, glancing at the ceiling. His dad had explained over and over again that JARVIS wasn't a real person and couldn't necessarily see that he was looking up at him. But Peter felt it was the right thing to do. The AI had also been programmed to respond to him.

"Yes young sir," JARVIS intoned back.

"Did I tie my shoes correctly?" Peter asked. He knew the question was vague and Tony always warned him about vague questions with JARVIS. "Did I do it like daddy taught me?"

"Yes young sir," Peter smiled. He then ran back out of his room. Tony, Pepper, and Happy were waiting in the foyer. Peter ran up to his dad. He felt a tiny twist in his stomach, knowing they had to go to the airport now. He fought back the frown and just stood very close to his dad. Tony noticed and smiled at him.

"Let's go," Pepper said, rushing them out the door. The went to the black Audi and Happy got into the driver's seat. Pepper sat in the front, so Tony could sit in the back with Peter. Peter squished himself against Tony and Tony wrapped his arm around his son. He nuzzled his head against his dad’s side. Sure, it was only a few days, but Peter was going to miss him. Tony didn’t seem to mind, based on the small smile on his face. He’d occasionally ruffle Peter’s hair or tickle his side to get a smile out of Peter. Tony knew Peter didn’t want him to go and that hurt him to know. But a smile went a long way to make him feel like maybe Peter would be fine without him for a few days.

* * *

The ride to the airport was faster than either father or son expected. Tony got out of the car and Peter scooted out after him, quickly grabbing his dad’s hand. They saw Rhodey waiting impatiently by the plane, in full Air Force uniform.

“Three hours,” Rhodey said exasperatedly when they approached. “Three hours, you got me here waiting for.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“Had some business to attend to,” He said glancing down at Peter.

“Sorry Uncle Rhodey,” Peter said and Rhodey’s expression softened a little. He then frowned and looked back at Tony.

“And using my nephew against me?” He said, a little insulted. “That’s low and cruel, Tones.” Tony chuckled. He then squatted down to face Peter. Peter frowned, knowing what was about to happen.

“You have to go now, don’t you?” Peter asked, looking down at the ground. He kicked at the perfect asphalt, so his dad couldn’t see that he was getting upset.

“Yes buddy I do,” Tony said, running his thumb across Peter’s cheek. Peter looked up at him, trying to hold back tears. He was almost seven, he didn’t need to cry about his dad leaving for a few days. Tony pulled his son into a hug. Peter buried his head in his dad’s shirt. Tony held his son closely, not wanting to let go. Eventually, he looked up to see Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey watching. He pulled away and could see that Peter was a little teary eyed.

“Three days, buddy,” Tony said. “I’ll be back by Monday night to tuck you in.” Peter looked at him, trying not to let any tears fall.

“Promise?” He asked. Tony smiled, a little sadly. Seeing his son sad hurt his heart. But he also had a job to do. They lived a good life because of the work Tony continued to do. It was a necessary evil.

“Promise,” Tony said. “I love you bambino.” Peter hugged his father one more time, a few tears escaping his eyes.

“I love you too daddy.” And then Tony was climbing the stairs to the jet with Rhodey and Peter was standing with Pepper and Happy. Tony waved one last time to them and Peter waved back, trying to put on a brave face. When the jet door shut, Pepper guided him back to the car. They had to go pick up May and Ben.

“Three days,” Peter whispered to himself. “Just three days.” As the car drove away from the hangar, Peter saw the Stark Industries jet take off. He peered out the window watching it fly above them. He wanted to ask Happy to drive faster, to follow it for as long as they could. But instead, he sat quietly and watched it until he couldn’t see it anymore. He sighed and leaned back against the leather cushion of the car.

It was only three days. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! The next story in the series will be up soon! Until then, thank you for reading!
> 
> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


End file.
